





Class ■■ H F ^ 7 
Book,__ , S g 

CDRiKIGHT DEPOSIT. 












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Upon Your Letters Depends Your Success 


Making The Letter Pay 

By 

A. Peter Stowe -y- 
19 13 

Published by 

The Business Man’s Publishing Co. 

DETROIT 





Copyright, 1913 

KY 

ALBERT STOLL, JR. 

Detroit, Mich. 

transferred frokj 

OFFICE 

tiAR 1 


FOREWORD 


This book is dedicated to you, who have to do with busi¬ 
ness correspondence. 

It professes no high literary honors, but is merely a sym¬ 
posium of the most helpful suggestions and ideas which have 
come under the editor’s observation. 

In it you will find those ideas which have made men better 
correspondents, which have helped organize the letter-writing 
department, which have shown the smallest business and the 
largest corporation the most efficient way of filing. 

It is the sincere wish of the editor that you, who read this 
volume, may derive as much material benefit therefrom as they 
have who have contributed to its pages. 



3 





CONTENTS 


CHAPTER I. 

The Business Letter. Its Why and Wherefore..... 7 

CHAPTER II. 

The Envelope and Address.... 9 

CHAPTER III. 

The Building of a Letter. 15 

Titles, Phrases, Signatures. The Form and Composition. The Paper. 

CHAPTER IV. 

How to Write a Business Letter. 29 

Beware of Vacuity. Avoid Circumlocution. Tact, Legibility. 

CHAPTER V. 

The Form Letter. 43 

CHAPTER VI. 

Distributing and Mailing. 57 

Classification. Efficiency Forms. Operations. 

CHAPTER VII. 

The Correspondence File. 70 

Classified Subject Index. Filing—Alphabetical, Geographical, Numerical 

and Follow-up. 

CHAPTER VIII. 

Numerical Classification of Correspondence. 85 

Classified Numerical Correspondence File. Method of Operation. Assign¬ 
ment of File Numbers. Equipment. 

CHAPTER IX. 

The File Guard. 92 

CHAPTER X. 

The Follow-up. 94 

CHAPTER XI. 

Mailing and Stenographic Hints. 96 

CHAPTER XII. 

Filing Documents. 99 

Only the Index Card is Accessible. How to Keep Out the Dead Matter. 

CHAPTER XIII. 

Catalog Filing . 103 

4 















ILLUSTRATIONS 


Page 

Office Arrangement ._. 6 

Envelopes . 10 

Signatures . 19 

Correspondence Tickler . 28 

Order Chart . 32 

Sales Letter . 35 

Specimen of Incorrect Typewritten Letter . 37 

Specimen of Incorrect Typewritten Letter .*. 38 

Specimen of Correct Typewritten Letter . 39 

Form Letters.45, 46, 47, 48 

Specimen Letterheads . 53 

Automatic Addressing Machine . 58 

Mailing List Chart . 60 

Prospects* and Customers* List Chart. 62 

Sales Chart. 65 

Office Arrangement. 71 

Combination File . 73 

Correspondence File . 75 

Transfer and Combination File . 79 

Alphabetical and Numerical Filing System. 80 

Geographical and Numerical Filing System... 81 

File Number Cards.*. 89 

Follow-Up Cards . 95 

Document Index Cards . 101 

Catalog Filing Drawer and Cards. .104, 105 



























MAKING THE LETTER PAY 





An uneconomical arrangement of this office costs both time and effort. A re¬ 
arrangement of the floor made it possible to send an order through the records 
department exactly as a piece of material travels through a systematized factory. 
It was started at one end and worked through to the other without an employe 

leaving his place. 


6 








































































































MAKING THE LETTER PAY 


THE BUSINESS LETTER 
Its Why and Wherefore 


CHAPTER I. 

To glance through the mail on the desk of a busy man 
today is to be at once convinced that there is plenty of room 
for improvement—even in the best. Two hours before this line 
was penned the writer received a letter written by a man who 
occupies a two-thousand-dollar place, which said: “I seen your 
article.'’ (It will be noted that we say '‘a two-thousand-dollar 
place,” not a ”two-thousand-dollar man.”) There are a lot 
of these ”I seen” people rattling around in positions intended 
for really good men, and there is today a premium placed upon 
the services of a man who can write a dignified and efficient 
letter. 

Our business people are not purists. We do not insist upon 
flowing periods and well rounded sentences. It is not fatal 
that a business letter should violate a rule or a convention 
here and there. Slang, contractions and colloquialisms are 
tolerated and at times even welcomed as a variation of mo¬ 
notony. The prime, and indeed the only, legitimate purpose 
of a business letter is the expression of ideas and the trans¬ 
mission of a message. If the reader understands the message 
just as the writer wished it understood there is no grave cause 
for complaint, but it can never be said, to a certainty, that it 
will be perfectly understood and understood just as the writer 
intended it, unless the expression be clear, the punctuation 
correct, and the choice of words accurate. Thus it is necessary 


7 




MAKING THE LETTER PAY 


that certain rules be conformed to and certain forms be 
observed. 

A good business letter must be clear and easily compre¬ 
hended. First of all, it must be as brief as can be made con¬ 
sistent with clarity, but it must tell the story and the whole 
story, even if its brevity must suffer. 

The right sort of brevity is attained through the discard¬ 
ing of unnecessary words and phrases, not through the adop¬ 
tion of a style which will make the letter sound like a foreman’s 
orders to a gang of men. Directness is very desirable, but this 
must not be confused with bluntness or curtness. Brevity is 
not always a synonym for shortness. Where there is much to 
say it will take a long letter to say it. By all means say all 
there is to be said, but cut out all repetitions and round-about 
sentences. Say all there is to say—and stop. A business letter 
is no place for rhetorical pyrotechnics. 

A direct, plain simple letter will produce the best results 
and results are what we are after, but even the best of letters 
can be spoiled by a lack of perfection in its mechanical features. 
A masterpiece of diction falls unheeded to the waste-basket 
if it is unreadable because of poor penmanship or for other 
reasons. 

We shall attempt to speak, in this book, of business cor¬ 
respondence only. Social life has its own correspondence and 
that branch is well worth study, but we must confine ourselves 
to such letters as come in the way of business. Business life 
and social life come close together at times and some slight 
notice of social forms may be necessary, but it will be brief. 


8 




THE ENVELOPE AND ADDRESS 


CHAPTER II. 

The Envelope is little else than a cover and a protection 
for the enclosure. It insures privacy and provides a space for 
the address. Any use to which it is put beyond this is more 
or less open to question. 

From time to time there have been attempts made to do 
away with the enclosing envelope by so arranging the letter 
sheet that a portion of it could be folded over in such fashion 
as to have a ‘‘flap’' which bore a gummed edge for sealing. 
These sheets were at one time sold by our post-offices, but never 
gained very wide use. Their failure was due to various causes, 
one of which was that to use such a sheet seemed to show a 
penny-saving spirit which did not look well. Another reason 
was that the sheets did not correspond to the commonly-used 
sizes and thus were inconvenient. It is extremely doubtful 
whether any such expedient can ever attain general success for 
the reasons mentioned. 

A return card—the name and address of the sender—should 
always appear upon a business envelope, as it provides a means 
by which an undelivered letter may be returned to the sender 
without first going to the dead letter office. It was formerly 
the custom to make this card read: If not delivered in ten 

days return to. This style is yet seen occasionally, 

but the more usual style gives merely the name and address— 
nothing more. 

Postmasters were supposed to heed the instructions rel¬ 
ative to the return of letters within a certain time, but, they sel¬ 
dom did so. A letter marked, “return in ten days,” was more 
likely to come back in thirty—or even more. This may be the 
reason why the custom of naming a certain period fell into 
disuse and here would seem to be a chance for improvement in 


9 



5’'*' . i{4ofMiil}onal •HCCOHiilofris Stniftfii.iur.-. . 


musiNEss 

A AMagazine forOflice Slorsv^Facloiy 


The Business i^lANfe Publishing Go-Ltd. 

DETKOIT 




4 



!• The return card which is in keeping with the 
dignity of the house it represents. 

return card combining dignity with ad¬ 
vertising value. 


J 


3. The unique and attractive return address. 

back flap return address which is coming 
into greater use than ever before. ^ 


10 










MAKING THE LETTER PAY 


our postal service. If a return period is specified on the envelope 
the receiving postmaster is supposed to send it back at the time 
stated. If the card says: “return in five days,” the postmaster 
is supposed to hold it five days only. If no time is specified 
the postmaster is required to hold the letter thirty days and 
then return it to the sender if the envelope bears a card. If no 
return address is given he is to send it to the “Dead Letter 
Office,” where it will be opened to learn the sender’s address 
if possible. These rules, however, are but poorly observed. It 
is far from uncommon to have letters bearing explicit return 
instructions held for thirty and even sixty days. The remedy 
for an annoyance of this sort is a complaint to Washington 
direct. Always enclose the envelope with the complaint in 
order to prove your case. We usually say: “What’s the use?” 
It is a small matter so we let it go, but if the abuse, which is 
sometimes a serious matter, is to be corrected, some one must 
take a little trouble in connection with it. 

If these cases all occurred in small remote*offices there would 
not be much cause to wonder at it as some of them offer little 
or no remuneration to their postmasters and the most strenuous 
complaints are likely to gain but scant attention. There is no 
remedy, for no one else wants the office, but in the larger offices 
a complaint will receive prompt attention. An apology and a 
reformation will do you but little good, but it may save some 
one else from suffering the same annoyance. 

Many envelopes may be seen, in common use, almost covered, 
both front and back, with advertising. This use of the envelope 
is of questionable value and taste. The advertising may be 
of some value, but that value is small at best and the loss of 
dignity and caste more than overbalances it. 

The envelope being a mere convenience and serving simply 
to guide and introduce the letter, its appropriateness is a matter 
of moment. Much of the value of a letter, much of its reception, 
depends upon the character and standing shown in the envelope. 
Its appropriateness then, is a prime consideration. A sealed 
envelope of poor quality and appearance impresses the receiver 
unfavorably, even if its contents prove important, but a cheap. 


11 




MAKING THE LETTER PAY 


draggled envelope under a penny stamp is a heavy handicap 
indeed for a circular letter to overcome. The good accom¬ 
plished by a neat and attractive cover may be negative, 
but the harm done by the other sort is positive. Cheap paper 
and cheap, unattractive printing are to be avoided just as 
carefully as you would avoid presenting yourself on a business 
mission clad in dirty and unattractive clothing. Fine feathers 
may not make fine birds, but we are pretty apt to judge our bird 
by its feathers after all. If we err in using a good quality of 
envelope we err on the right side and take no chance of harm¬ 
ing our cause. 

It is customary to use envelopes of the same style and 
quality as the letter inclosed, but this is not an absolute neces¬ 
sity. Like other customs in the business world, it is well to 
observe it if convenient. For ordinary use the common shapes 
and sizes are preferable for at least two reasons: First, because 
they are more easily handled and second, because it is not 
usually well to distract attention from the message to the 
messenger. In sending out circulars or circular letters, oddly- 
shaped envelopes and those of unusual size or color may be 
advisable, but their value is problematical. 

The most commonly used and convenient sizes of envelopes 
are the 6 in., 6% in. and the 9 V 2 or legal size. The latter 
size is preferable where bulky or heavy papers are enclosed as 
they necessitate folding of the enclosure in one direction only. 

Circular letters are sent under one cent postage and must 
be unsealed, but there are various sorts of envelopes which 
permit of sealing and which still permit of examination by the 
authorities if necessary. This is attained by pasting or sealing 
only one end of the envelope in process of manufacture. This 
permits one end to be opened and tucked in again and makes the 
contents much more secure against loss than the old method 
of simply tucking in the fiap. These envelopes are variously 
known as '‘penny-savers,” "sealed-yet-open,” "neostyle,” and 
so on, and may be obtained in any desired size or quality from 
most dealers. 

Where the body of the letter is the same in each instance 


12 




MAKING THE LETTER PAY 


and where the letter is produced by some mechanical process 
of duplication, each letter may bear an individual name and 
address—that is, it may be filled in—and still go under one cent 
postage. The only requirement is that the letters must be 
deposited in the office in lots of not less than twenty at one time. 

Where a response to your letter is desired and where it 
seems advisable to make such a response as easy as possible, a 
return envelope is enclosed. This envelope is a size smaller than 
the outer one, to admit of easy enclosure, and has the address 
printed plainly upon it, both for convenience and to prevent use 
for other purposes. This return envelope will be either stamped 
or not, according to the amount of money you are willing to 
spend in securing your response. A stamped envelope will not, 
unfortunately, insure a response. One would naturally suppose 
that a business man would be above such procedure, but many 
a stamp enclosed to prepay a response has gone to diminish the 
receiver’s postage account, while the unanswered letter sought 
a calm repose in that grave of unanswered letters—the waste¬ 
basket. 

A stamped envelope with a printed address is much less 
likely to be thus diverted than an enclosed unattached stamp, 
and hence is preferable, although a trifle more expensive. 


13 





Never overlook this fact—a letter, 
properly addressed, properly worded, 
will carry its message to the most 
remote and innermost corner in 
any business. It will arrive right. 
It will reach the Man — when the 
Salesman fails. It gets there — 


14 











THE BUILDING OF A LETTER 


CHAPTER III. 

If you were to step into a business office for the purpose 
of delivering a message you would, in all probability, try to 
formulate a graceful introduction to your communication. Now 
a letter is only a substitute for a conversation. Sometimes a 
desirable substitute, for there are certain subjects more easily 
approached through the medium of a letter than by word of 
mouth, sometimes even an unpleasant one made necessary 
by conditions. In either case a graceful opening is very 
necessary. 

Custom has decreed that all letters follow a certain pre¬ 
scribed form as to opening and closing words. First, they must 
necessarily be addressed to some one—the person who, in due 
course, will read them. 

Some of these customary introductions seem entirely un¬ 
necessary, and as a matter of fact are unnecessary so far as the 
real purpose of the letter is concerned, but so long as custom 
decrees their use, we must use them under penalty of seeming 
boorish—a stigma under which we cannot afford to rest. 

We may contend that the salutation “my dear sir” is un¬ 
necessary—we do not mean it—and the contention is just— 
but it is customary and we must abide by the decree—whether 
we like it or not, for custom is as strong as law or stronger. 

If we restricted ourselves at all times to saying only the 
things we really mean matters would progress far less smoothly 
than they do. There is occasionally found a correspondent 
who is sufficiently regardless of convention to leave off the 
salutation altogether. Perhaps the time will come when all 


15 


MAKING THE LETTER PAY 


will do so, but the ordinary business communication will bear 
it for a long time to come. For the present, not being reformers 
but business men, we will conform to custom. 

There are those who are in a position to disregard the 
customary without evil effect. They may do as they choose. 
To a certain extent they make custom. Some of our merchant 
princes wear clothing which would be considered disgraceful 
if worn by one of their clerks. The clerk cannot afford to wear 
shabby clothes—the other can. An institution can be so big 
and so powerful that it may disregard usage or custom without 
any apparent effect, evil or otherwise. For instance, the 
Standard Oil Company might use the very cheapest grade of 
paper for its correspondence without serious results to its 
business—but they do not. A big mail-order house in the East 
has decided that it can save a little time—and consequently a 
little money—in handling its correspondence by dropping the 
salutation entirely. Instead of the customary “Dear Sir“ or 
“Dear Madam” their letters plunge directly into the subject 
matter. The contention on their part is that you would not 
walk into an office and commence your business talk with “Dear 
Sir.” “Hence,’ ’ they ask, ‘ ‘why should we commence our letter 
thus?” The omission may be all right—and the concern is 
big enough to stand it if it is not—but the contention is not. 
It is true that we do not use just this form of salutation on 
entering an office, but we do use some form in order not to 
appear abrupt. In a conversation we mention our name at the 
beginning, if it is necessary to mention it at all, instead of at 
the end, as in a letter; but this is no reason for resuming the use 
of the third person in correspondence. 

This question, like many others, is one for personal de¬ 
cision. Will it do any good to transgress custom or usage, and 
will the good overbalance the harm? 

If the customary salutation is there many people will 
not notice it at all. If it is omitted there are many cranks who 
will consider its omission a studied slight or indignity. Can 
you afford to antagonize the crank? There is very little to be 
gained in any event and there is a possibility of ill effect. 


16 




MAKING THE LETTER PAY 


TITLES 

It is customary to commence all letters with a title, thus: 

Dr. (Doctor.) Used as a title in addressing those who possess a 
doctor’s degree of any character, such as M. D. (Doctor of 
Medicine), LL. D. (Doctor of Laws), D. D. (Doctor of 
Divinity), etc. As a salutation letters thus addressed 
should commence: Dear Sir:, except where the communi¬ 
cation is between those more or less familiar, in which case 
Dear Doctor:, is permissible. 

Esq. (Esquire.) Technically, this is applicable only to lawyers, 
justices, etc. Commonly, however, it is used in place of 
the more common, Mr. (Master or Mister). Letters thus 
addressed bear the title following the name, thus: John D. 
Brewer, Esq., and commence Dear Sir:, as a substitute for 
this, the salutation. Dear Mr. Brewer, is sometimes used. 

Hon. (Honorable.) Applied to all important government of¬ 
ficers, and to all Judges, Mayors, etc. It is purely an Hon¬ 
orary title and is very often misapplied. In formal com¬ 
munications to bodies of men it is frequently used thus: 
To the Honorable, The Secretary of the Board, etc. This 
style is rapidly falling into disuse, and justly so. It is quite 
customary to write: Secretary, Board of, etc. As custom 
governs our tongue, both written and spoken, no fault can 
be found with the change, even by those who cling to old 
customs and old forms. Letters addressed as above, being 
purely formal in their nature, begin simply. Sir: In addition 
to being formal, letters thus addressed are purely im¬ 
personal. Not the individual but the office or function is ad¬ 
dressed. For example: 

THE PRESIDENT, 

WASHINGTON, 

D. C. 

Personal. 

Mr. (Master or Mister.) A form of address applied to all men 
who possess no specific title. Letters thus addressed should 
commence: Dear Sir:, or Dear Mr. Jones:. 


17 




MAKING THE LETTER PAY 


(Custom changes gradually—but it does change. There 
was a time, not so long ago, when the omission of Mr. or 
Esq. from an address was considered a discourtesy. It is 
not now so uncommon to note its omission by some of the 
best correspondents.) 

Messrs. (Gentlemen Sirs:) A form of address used in writ¬ 
ing to firms, corporations without descriptive titles, etc. 
These letters are commenced thus: Gentlemen: The sal¬ 
utation, Dear Sirs:, is sometimes used, but this seems to 
be falling to disuse. 

Prof. (Professor.) An address to one holding a position as 
a professor or special teacher in educational institutions 
of any character. Added to this may be used any academic 
title, as Prof. Lewis Ames, A. B., if the addressee holds 
such a title. This title has of late been much abused, being 
applied to dancing masters, professional rat-catchers and 
kindred occupations, all legitimate and honorable, but 
hardly entitled to such a distinction. 

Rev. (Reverend.) Given by courtesy to all ordained ministers 
and priests, the proper salutation being Dear Sir:, Purely 
formal communications to such may be begun with Rev¬ 
erend Sir:, if desired. Priests of the Roman Catholic 
Church may be addressed: Rev. Fr. (Reverend Father.) 

Women. A woman should always indicate her sex and condi¬ 
tion in her correspondence in order to avoid error and con¬ 
sequent embarrassment, signing her letters with her name 
prefixed by Miss or Mrs., in parenthesis. Failing this it 
is always difficult to tell how to address a letter and pre¬ 
force we must use no title whatever. A letter addressed to 

Miss or Mrs.as the case may be, begins: Madam, 

or Dear Madam. 

There are many given names which bear in themselves no 
indication as to the sex of their owner. Such names as Frank 
Smyth, Leo Raymond, Clyde Lawrence might belong to either 
sex, and without an indication on this point we might assume 
the owner to be a man and address our response in accordance 


18 





MAKING THE LETTER PAY 


Sincerely your. , 



^ours very truly, 

2 




Boepeotfully yours, 
FAMILY BUTTER MERGER CO. 

4 








V^nTcJ^jUL^GjLA.^ ' 

8 



Youtb truly. 



Fifty per cent, of the signatures today are practically unreadable. It is impor¬ 
tant in all business correspondence that the recipient be able to distinguish clearly 
the name of the writer. This is a point too often overlooked in letter-writing. 

Part of the above are characteristic readable signatures—the others not legible. 


19 
















MAKING THE LETTER PAY 


with a possibility of causing annoyance or embarrassment if 
our supposition chances to be erroneous. The proper form is 
this: 

(Miss) Leo Raymond. 

(Mrs.) Frank Smyth. 

THE CLOSING PHRASE 

In earlier days when life was not so strenuous it was cus¬ 
tomary to close all letters with a pompous phrase or two, which 
meant absolutely nothing as: “I have the honor to remain, 
sirs, your most humble servant.” Or, “With assurances of 
my most humble service I beg leave to subscribe myself.” All 
this is, most happily, as out of date as it is out of place. The busi¬ 
ness letter of today should be signed in the most simple and 
natural manner, as: “Yours truly;” “Yours very truly;” 
“Yours sincerely,” and so on. 

The style of this closing phrase is left entirely to the writer’s 
own inclination, always remembering to make it simple and 
direct. 

Just how little is meant by these flowery phrases is very 
clearly shown by the fact that we are never so punctilious in 
their use as when we are writing to some one for whom we have 
a positive dislike, or some one with whom we have had a quarrel. 

We go to the other extreme when we close our letter curtly 
with: 

Yours. 

Yours, etc. 

Yrs., etc. 

This is an evidence of haste and should be avoided. What 
excuse is there for the use of such contractions? Do they save 
enough time to make it worth while? If not, the custom has 
not a leg to stand upon. 

THE SIGNATURE 

The signature is at once a guarantee of genuineness, a 
mark of authority, an acknowledgment of responsibility and an 


20 




MAKING THE LETTER PAY 


announcement of personality. Above all, let it be distinct. 
Where the name signed to a letter appears at the head of the 
sheet an illegible signature can usually be deciphered and may 
not, therefore, be such a serious matter. On the other hand, 
when this is not the case, an unreadable signature becomes a 
source of annoyance to say the least, and may at times become 
the cause of positive loss or damage. 

One of the most common causes of annoyance in this con¬ 
nection is to be found in the misplacing of letters in the files 
because of mis-reading of the signature. Hogan becomes Hagan 
—Done becomes Dane and so on and it is a long way from the 
“Ha*^ division to the “Ho” division in the files of a large mer¬ 
cantile establishment these days. 

If, with your illegible signatures you combine another fault 
—that of referring to a former letter instead of giving all neces¬ 
sary information in the present one, the misplacing of your 
previous letter may mean a further interchange of correspond¬ 
ence before your business can be dispatched. The annoyance 
falls upon the other fellow. The loss—when there is any—falls 
upon you. The fault is your own. Your correspondent will not 
take you to task about it, but it is so, just the same. 

Cultivate a clear, clean-cut readable signature. It is no 
mark of genius to use a signature which looks like a handful 
of curled hair. If you are not ashamed of your name, let it 
stand out and speak for itself. If you are ashamed of it, change 
it, but do not hide it behind a scrawl. 

This does not mean that your signature must be a colorless, 
characterless, school-boy tracing, but that it should be clear and 
readable—that it should be plain enough so that a response will 
come to you with your name properly spelled. 

There was a time when a “sign manual” was a sufficient 
signature, but that was a long time ago. It is no mark of stand¬ 
ing now to use a signature which no one can read. Some of our 
really great men are poor penmen—but poor penmanship did 
not make them great. 

Just how a letter shall be signed is largely a matter of taste 


21 




MAKING THE LETTER PAY 


or preference. Some very large and thoroughly representative 
concerns use their official signatures only on formal and official 
documents. Other communications have the signature of the 
individual dictating them either with or without a title ap¬ 
pended as the case may be. The object of this is to secure so 
far as possible the advantage given by the personality of the 
writer. 

A letter signed thus: 

Yours truly, 

BIDWELL & CO. 

Per. J. F. S. 

has little of the personal about it, while the same letter signed 
thus: 

Yours sincerely, 

John F. Sloan. 

has a direct personal touch. To the recipient the latter style 
implies that a personal interest is being taken and such a feeling 
is desirable. 

More and more are our business houses recognizing the 
value of this feeling of personal contact between their employes 
and their customers and it is but a shortsighted management 
which will begrudge the personal advantage which this per¬ 
sonal acquaintance might give the employe under certain cir¬ 
cumstances. One of the greatest advantages of using personal 
signatures is the pleasant way in which certain things can be 
said over such a signature while over a formal and official signa¬ 
ture they would sound arrogant or stiff. 

The nearer we can come to a personal communication in 
our business correspondence the better. In most cases a per¬ 
sonal interview would be preferable, but so long as it is im¬ 
possible, so long as a letter must take its place, let the letter 
be as near the tone of a personal interview as possible. 

Letters or documents requiring the formal or legal sanction 
or authority of the firm must, of course, be signed with the 
firm’s official signature. 

Letters being a substitute for the spoken word, it is not 


22 





MAKING THE LETTER PAY 


necessary to have a formal signature relative to any matter 
which the correspondent would have authority to decide in a 
verbal communication. Not one business letter out of a hun¬ 
dred is written about a matter which requires a signature bind¬ 
ing in law. Usually the letter is written in good faith and ac¬ 
cepted on that understanding. Whatever a correspondent has 
authority to say by word of mouth would be just as valid over 
his signature so long as the concern acts in good faith. 

There is still another desirable feature in connection with 
a personal signature. A correspondent getting a letter signed 
by W. E. Chope would naturally address his response to the same 
person, thus the response would go directly to the one having 
the matter in charge. Where much correspondence is handled 
this will be an easily appreciated advantage. 

But little need be said relative to the legality of a signature. 
The question of legality is usually a mere question of intention. 
A pencil signature is as binding as one in ink. Wills written in 
pencil have been admitted to probate. Even a ‘‘mark” or 
cross—the “sign-manual”—is accepted as a valid signature 
when properly witnessed. The question usually is, “was the 
signature intended as a legal and authentic one.” 

The rubber stamp is sometimes used in signing letters of a 
purely formal character, but it is a question whether it is not 
worth while to use the extra time necessary to sign with a pen 
—unless the stamp can be made a perfect imitation, as will be 
shown later. 

It would seem to most people that a modern business man 
would need no cautioning as to the signature of his letters, yet 
the writer has received within the thirty days just preceding 
the day on which this is written, no less than seventeen letters 
without signature. Some of these were written on printed letter 
heads and could thus be identified: others were not, and no 
identification was possible. Some of them contained money, 
which of course remains unclaimed. Very possibly the sender 
considers the money lost—and so it is unless he writes to iden¬ 
tify the letter of remittance. 

In one case the sender of an unsigned letter followed it with 


23 




MAKING THE LETTER PAY 


a very tart and sarcastic letter of inquiry. He was probably 
very much ashamed of the latter when he received the unsigned 
communication with a few words of explanation. 

THE RUBBER STAMP SIGNATURE 
Where a vast quantity of correspondence is handled the 
signing of letters becomes a burdensome matter and recourse is 
had to the rubber stamp. Some of these stamps are so cunningly 
made that they are difficult to detect, so much do they resemble 
pen-and-ink originals. Facsimile signature stamps are to be had 
of any maker of rubber stamps and if carefully used not one in 
a hundred would suspect their genuineness. But beware of 
careless use. A little heedlessness on the part of the user of a 
stamp may easily spoil the appearance of an otherwise admirable 
letter. 

The stamp saves time. But it has its drawbacks. Some 
people object to it, feeling that their communications merit 
personal attention even to the signature. A puerile objection 
perhaps, but one to be considered nevertheless. 

There is no question but that a portion of the personal ele¬ 
ment is lost by the use of stamps, and on this account many 
people have abandoned their use. This does not necessarily 
mean that the writer or dictator signs the letters in person. On 
the contrary he delegates the signing to a clerk or stenographer 
who can write a reasonably good imitation of his own signature. 
Even in circular letters this is worth while—perhaps even more 
worth while than in dictated letters. 

THE FORM AND COMPOSITION 
Ungrammatical letters are a poor comment on the standing 
of the concern issuing them. There have been some good, solid, 
successful business men who could neither speak nor write cor¬ 
rectly, but there vrere other qualities which overcame the lack. 
If you are one of these people you would better get a steno¬ 
grapher who can put your letters into proper shape. There is 
no advantage gained by advertising your shortcomings in this 
connection. Good grammar passes without comment and pos¬ 
sibly without notice—but the other sort will attract attention 


24 




MAKING THE LETTER PAY 


enough. But good grammar and proper construction have a 
better recommendation than this. Your letter carries a mes¬ 
sage. Improperly written, badly constructed, incorrectly punc¬ 
tuated, there is every reason to fear a fault in the delivery of 
your message. 

You know what you meant when you wrote it—but the recip¬ 
ient can see only what you say. Be very careful, therefore, to 
say just exactly what you mean—and say it correctly, so that 
there may be no chance of a misunderstanding. Use care in 
choosing your words. Pick out the one which just expresses 
your meaning and just the shade of meaning you desire to ex¬ 
press. Some ridiculous things are often said through thought¬ 
lessness. One business man met another on the street, saying: 

‘' John my sister in California died last week. I know you should 
be told as she used to be a schoolmate of yours.” It was not 
what he meant—his manner showed that it was not—but it was 
what he said. This simply illustrates the necessity of care 
in what you say. In a letter there can be none of that personal 
element—none of the manner which so effectually modifies what 
you say. Things which may well be said in a face-to-face con¬ 
versation are quite impossible in a letter, simply because they 
would be misunderstood. 

A common fault with many commercial correspondents 
is the excessive use of capital letters. A good rule to follow is 
this: When in doubt use a small letter (lower case). Do not 
use a capital in speaking of clerks, lawyers, musicians and so on 
in ordinary correspondence. Instead of writing: “Our Lawyer 
will attend to the matter,” use a lower case “1” for lawyer. 
The capital is unnecessary. 

QUALITY AND COLOR OF PAPER 

Paper is comparatively inexpensive. The difference in cost 
between a good and a cheap grade is insignificant and not worth 
saving. 

Your letter is your personal representative. You send it 
out in place of a personal visit. Its character should be such as 
to do you credit. You would not go out to make a business call 


25 




MAKING THE LETTER PAY 


dressed in a suit of “blue jeans.” No more should you send out 
your letters dressed in cheap and shabby attire. Just what 
paper to use is largely a matter of taste. For typewriter use a 
medium weight “bond” paper is most appropriate. It should 
not be so thin that the printing will show through nor should 
it be so heavy that the addition of an extra sheet will necessi¬ 
tate the payment of extra postage. For ordinary business pur¬ 
poses a 16-pound “bond” answers every purpose while for for¬ 
mal announcements and notices it is customary to use a different 
grade of much greater weight. A 24-pound is recommended 
for this purpose. 

If very heavy weight paper is used it is liable to crack and 
fray out where it is folded, which is a very undesirable feature. 
Heavy paper, too, takes up more room in letter files, which is 
a point to be considered. Bond papers may be obtained at all 
prices between 7 and 22 cents a pound. At 13 cents you will 
be able to purchase a grade which will be entirely satisfactory. 
These papers may be obtained in almost any conceivable color 
and there is at times a great temptation to indulge in fanciful 
stationery, but it is always a questionable practice. 

The writer has received letters written with a blue or pur¬ 
ple ribbon on blue paper which were so difficult to read as to be 
almost painful. This is extremely unwise as the effort causes 
the reader to have a feeling of irritation against the writer. 
This feeling may be, and frequently is, entirely unconscious, 
but nevertheless it is a decided drawback. We would hardly 
go so far as to say that the purpose of a letter could be thwarted 
by the above but it might very well contribute to the letter’s 
failure. It is certain that a neat, clear, legible sheet will get 
more prompt and careful attention than one which is hard to 
read, no matter what the cause. 

For inter-department correspondence it is the practice in 
certain establishments to provide each department or each de¬ 
partment head with distinctive stationery, either the name of the 
individual or the designation of the department being shown on 
sheets of a special color, which serves to identify their source 
without difficulty. These note heads not only add dignity to the 


26 




MAKING THE LETTER PAY 


communication but they also serve to gain for them more prompt 
recognition and attention. 

Scientific investigators of the subject have stated that 
paper of a buff color is less trying to the eye of the reader than 
other colors. This may very possibly be true, but only if the 
paper and the ink used thereon present a proper contrast. With 
white paper, ink of almost any color may be used, but if a 
colored paper is used the ink or ribbon must be chosen with 
care. Dense black is about the only color of ink or ribbon 
which will provide a good legible impression on deep toned 
papers, and black typewriter ribbons are far from being the 
most satisfactory in use. The use of dark papers for corre¬ 
spondence is not a very good idea for this reason if for no other, 
but there are other arguments against dark colored paper, which 
will be spoken of in due time. White or cream colored paper 
is always suitable and these are recommended. 

The ordinarily used size of letter sheet for business cor¬ 
respondence is SV^xll. This size of sheet folded in half gives 
the size usually called '‘note,” or at least about the size. This 
latter is but little used for business letters for several good 
reasons. It does not fit well in a modern file and thus is incon¬ 
venient to the receiver. It will take but a very limited letter 
without the use of the inner face and to use both sides is almost 
as bad as using both sides of a letter sheet. These are a few 
of the reasons against its use, but the strongest argument against 
it is no really good argument in its favor. There are good 
reasons why we should use the letter size so the best way is 
to stick to that. If you must use this sized sheet, however, 
do not make it worse by using it in any of the freak ways we do 
frequently see illustrated. The logical way to consider a folded 
sheet of note paper is to consider its pages just as though they 
were numbered from 1 to 4 as a book would be, yet we see every 
day just the opposite handling. Why a sensible person should 
skip from page 1 to page 4 in writing a letter is hard to tell, but 
some correspondents do it. For short notes half sheets are used, 
but the only saving effected in the use of these half sheets is in 
the smaller cost of the paper itself, so this need not be urged. 


27 






A 4-drawer flat file cabinet used by one executive in place of the usual portfolio. 
The drawers are labeled “Today,” “Tomorrow,” “Next Week” and “Next 
Month,” and papers are dropped into their places as they come in. Each morn¬ 
ing this man’s secretary empties the “Tomorrow” drawer into the “Today” 
drawer to be ready for his immediate attention. Once a week she empties the 
“Next Week” drawer into the “Today” drawer, and on the last day of the 
month empties the “Next Month” drawer. 


A busy executive who has frequent need to refer to his correspondence, utilizes 
his desk drawer as a file. In this drawer a set of vertical guides numbered from 
1 to 31 are used to indicate the correspondence of the current month, and the 
drawer includes also a set of guides for the months of the year. On the last day 
of the month all papers that have been placed behind the guide for the succeeding 
month are taken out and marked for the days when they are to be called up, and 

placed in their respective places. 





































HOWTO WRITEABUSINESS LETTER 


CHAPTER IV. 

English is a splendid language. It has words, original, 
powerful, pleasing; words offering wonderful opportunities for 
the expression of ideas; words for business. Our great com¬ 
mercial world, with its competition and struggle, needs the best 
there is in language to gain the fullest results. Many a fine deal 
has been lost through a poor letter. It behooves every business 
correspondent to get all possible knowledge of business dic¬ 
tion. A little real art may often bring forth real dollars. Art 
and money are not generally linked together; try them in your 
next business letter. 

An original idea is a rare thing. We may safely say our 
business world today is developing more originality than all 
other lines combined. It is the great field of plan and invention. 
Let the new thoughts be clothed in fitting raiment, and the 
words worthy of the ideas. 

Business style does not wholly conform to literary style. 
Smooth-fiowing, euphonious, well-rounded words, set in long 
sentences, usually give a tedious tone to the business letter. 
While in literary work the effect may be excellent, the average 
business man will deem his communication long-winded. The 
purpose of a business letter is to carry a point, to gain an end. 
Often there is a struggle involved, even a fight. The good old 
Anglo-Saxon words, the short, powerful, little fellows, often with 
barbed wire on them, are the best. A strong simplicity, a direct 
driving to the point, is the big essential. Time is to be saved— 
the reader’s time; it may mean his money and he is jealous of it. 

Use the fewest possible words and make them gripping and 


29 


MAKING THE LETTER PAY 


clinching. There is nothing so boring as a long, straggling 
pointless letter, and it never hits the mark. 

A business letter should never be written in a hurry. Often 
a man thinks he is doing well when he dashes off many dictated 
letters. I may tread upon some toes, but I feel that dictated 
letters as a whole are a very poor lot. Blood cannot be wrung 
from a turnip, and ideas and good wording cannot be drawn and 
brewed in a breath. No, not even by a genius. Of course, there 
are many inconsequential letters in the daily volume of business, 
dealing mainly with bald facts, that need not necessarily be 
handled in any but a mechanical way. These can be as rapidly 
given as ready speech with, perhaps, no loss. But the real 
business letter, the one that is to carry influence and convic¬ 
tion, must be studied over, worked over, brought forth in 
mental perspiration. If it is to be dictated it should be read 
over after first writing, corrected and dictated again. A trained 
professional writer, with a good command of language, hesitates 
at rapid work. Fewer letters and better ones will save sta¬ 
tionery, postage and many disappointments. 

Unselfishness in writing may be a new way of viewing it. 
Still further if the writer will consider himself a debtor, a debtor 
of his reader’s time, he will exercise the utmost care in his cor¬ 
respondence—and it will serve his purposes doubly well. 

Now just what constitutes a good business letter? What 
are its elements? Briefly, we may say the thought, the presen¬ 
tation of the thought, the mechanical arrangement, and the sta¬ 
tionery. 


BEWARE OF VACUITY 

Many letters are wholly devoid of real thinking—the same 
old set of bald platitudes, absolutely stale, withered and lifeless; 
the worn-threadbare generalities that everyone knows by rote. 
Countless quantities of these communications are flooding the 
mails and Ailing the waste baskets. Nearly every new writer 
starts in with the time-worn stock opening, follows it along with 
the aged stock ideas and closes with the same stock ending. 

Originality, personal touch, individuality, one’s real self 


30 




MAKING THE LETTER PAY 


can be thrown into the business letter and charm it with mag¬ 
netic life. Sometimes it takes charm to draw forth the order. 
This cannot be done in an off-hand, rambling way. 

A salesman studies his arguments carefully before calling 
on his prospect; a business correspondent should do no less. 
If there is only one worthy idea in the letter let that idea have 
full sway and nothing else. Form stipulates: '‘Your valued 
favor of recent date at hand, etc.” If this must be used get 
away from it in the second sentence and say something. It is 
pleasing to note that some modern business writers are drop¬ 
ping the stilted phrases and plunging to the core of the idea in 
the first sentence—more of this later. 

The thought of the letter should be well in mind before the 
writing is attempted. Make it a live, breathing thing; a definite 
entity that takes hold on your very being—then, though you may 
be a poor writer, there will be live substance to your letter. The 
old idea that anything worth doing at all is worth doing well 
is backed up by the results of carefully-studied letters. 

The thought should be conceived in its entirety, in its log¬ 
ical development and presentation, and then, perhaps, though 
not likely, it can be dictated with success. 

This is the day of snap. It is well to be up-to-date. Snap 
is a combination of life, enthusiasm, and brevity. With the 
thought of the letter well in mind, give it a crisp writing. In 
the main, short sentences are desirable, though jerkiness is to 
be avoided. The biographical style is especially tabooed. 
Freshness, brightness, and a little more of aggressive appeal 
give the best results in salesmanship correspondence and in 
nearly all letters trying to carry influence. 

Perhaps our modern ad writer is the foremost exponent of 
letter writing. With the ginger he combines the strong note of 
persuasion, and they are splendid team-mates. The average 
letter writer will do well to note carefully the circular matter 
that comes to his hand and incorporate some of its better points. 

The method of presenting the thought of the letter is of 
much importance. Nearly all business correspondence is writ- 


31 




U. S. POSTOFFICE 
UNION STATION 



HOW JOHN DOE’S ORDER 
WAS HANDLED 


N5 


DEPT. 146 


STAMPED 
ENVELOPE 
OPENED 



MAIL OPENED 
AND READ 


DEPT. 162 


DEPT. 147 


INDEX CARD SHOW- 
INO DATE. INVOICE 
No., DEPTS. AND AMT. 
OF ORDER IS FaED 
BY STATE, TOWN AND 
COSTOMER’S NAME. 


PREADJUSTED—CLERK EXAMINES. 
REMITTANCE AND ORDER; FINDS 
IT 0. K. TO PUT THROUGH 


ORDER ENTERED. A SEPARATE nCKET IS WRIT¬ 
TEN FOR EACH OF THE FODR MERCHANDISE DEPTS. 
INTERESTED; ORDER ACKNOWLEDGED BY POSTAL; 
INDEX CARD SENT TO 162; ORDER AND nCKETS 


TO 148. 


DEPT. 148 


DEPT. 


AUDITING. 
AMOUNT AND FORM 
OF REMITTANCE ON 
ORDER AND CASH 
ENTRY SHEET ARE 
AUDITED, ORDER TO 
147. 


u 


; CASH ENTRY CLERK AU- 
;DrTS REMITTANCE; ENTERS 


DEPT. 


RECEIVED IN DISPATCHING DIV 


SORTED TO ROUTE CLERK. 


ROUTE CLERK 


ROUTES VIA C. B. * Q. 


FREIGHT RECEIPT IS 


SCRIBED IN TRIPLICATE. 


SCHEDULE CLERK STAMPS 
LOADING DATE ON EACH TICKET. •• 


SHIPPING ROOM SECTION AND CAR 
• FREIGHT RECEIPT AND WRAPPER. 




• RECORD ON CASH ENTRY 
SHEETS. WRAPPER AND 
PAID No. ATTACHED TO OR¬ 
DER AND SENT TO AUDITOR 
MONEY SENT TO BANKING 
DEPT. 


168 


DEPT. 


169 


1 


CASH ENTRY SHEET 


MONEY ORDER 

1 


FILED. 


CASHED. 


DEPT. 148 

(CASH BOOK) 


BANKINC DEPT. 


TICKETS ARE DISTRIBUTED TO 
TUBE, AND ORDER AND RECEIPT 


THE FOUR MERCHANDISE DEPTS. BY 
ARE SENT TO SHIPPING ROOM SECTION. 




2 CLK. EXTENDS PRICE 
AND LISTS SALE. 

3 CLK. ENTERS FCTY. 
ORDER FOR COUCH. 

4 TICKET AND FACTORY 
ORDER TO 166. 



CLK. PRICES TICKET. 
CLK. EXTENDS PRICE 
AND LISTS SALE. 
ORDER FILLED. 
ORDER CHECKED. 
TICKET AND GOODS 
SENT TO SHIPPING 
ROOM SECTION. 



o 


1 





-1 

1 1 

a 

m 

PO 

DEPT 


15 • 

DEPT. 

'i' 

37 

)EPT.| 


1 CLK. PRICES TICKET. 

2 CLK. EXTENDS PRICE 
AND LISTS SALE. 

3 ORDER FILLED. 

4 ORDER CHECKED. 

5 TICKET AND GOODS 
SENT TO SHIPPING 
ROOM SECTION. 


3 >1. C 




1 CLK. PRICES TICKET. 

2 CLK. EXTENDS PRICE 
AND LISTS SALE. 

3 ORDER FILLED. 

4 ORDER CHECKED. 

5 TICKET AND GOODS 
SENT TO SHIPPING 
ROOM SECTION. 


1 FACTORY 
AUDITED 
CORDED. 

2 FACTORY ORDER 
TICKET STAMPED 
‘•FACTORYSENT 
TO SHIPPING ROOM 
SECTION TO CON¬ 
NECT WITH OTHER 
TICKETS. 

3 FACTORY ORDER 
O. K’D AND SENT TO 
DEPT. I TO FOR¬ 
WARD TO FACTORY. 


TO SHIPPING ROOM SECTION 
Freight Shipping | -j' [ 


DEPTS. 185-186 


WHEN ORDER AND RECEIPT ARE RECEIVED IN SORTING 


DIVISION, A BASKET IS PROVIDED IN THE SECTION INTO 
WHICH THE TICKETS AND MERCHANDISE ARE PLACED 


WHEN RECEIVED FROM THE OTHER DEPARTMENTS. 
WHEN ALL THE TICKETS AND GOODS ARE RECEIVED 


IN THE SECTION, THE ORDER AND TICKETS ARE SENT TO 
DEPT. 170 TO BaL. 


DEPT. 170 


]T 


THE TICKETS ARE BALANCED BY THE BILL 
CLERK AND ENCLOSED IN A WRAPPER THE 
TICKETS AND ORDER THEN RETURNED TO 
THE SECTION. 


DEPT. 191 


TO 

CDS- 

TOMER 


1 


1 BOX IS SORTED 
WITH FREIGHT FOR 
C. B. A Q. 

2 BOX IS PLACED IN 
C. B. A Q. STALL 
FOR LOADING IN 
CAR. 

3 BOX IS LOADED -Ql 
CAR FOR TRANSFER 
TO C. B. A Q., BIU- 
ED TO AURORA, ILL., 
AND ORIGINAL RE- 
CEIPT, SIGNED BY 
AGENT,'IS SENT TO 
163. 


I 


AFTER TICKETS AND OR¬ 
DER ARE RETURNED TO 
THE SECTION, THEY AND 
THE GOODS ARE SENT TO 
THE RECHECKER. IF GOODS 
TALLEY WITH THE TICKETS 
THEY ARE PACKED. 


THE GOODS AND BILL ARE PACKED IN A 
BOX AND CLASSIFIED. “I BOX SHOES.’* THE 
BOX AND RECEIPT ARE SENT TO THE OUT 
FREIGHT DEPT. AND THE ORDER, AFTER 
BEING STAMPED WITH DATE OF SHIPMENT, 
TO DEPT. 163. 


DEPT. 163 


J; 


I FREIGHT RECEIPT HELD ABOUT ONE YEAR 
IN RECEIPT FOE. 


2 ORDER AND PAPERS HELD ABOUT FOUR 
MONTHS IN LETTER FILE. 


How an order is handled by one great 
mail order house from the moment it 
is received until it is filled, is shown in 
this graphic chart, which was prepared 
for the information and guidance of 
its correspondents. 


32 
















































































































































MAKING THE LETTER PAY 


ten with the object of convincing the receiver. With this in 
mind the viewpoint of the recipient should be the main consid¬ 
eration; far more so than that of the sender. “How will he take 
it?“ should be the central idea. Every man is interested in his 
own affairs; an outsider can drop in and tell reams about him¬ 
self; what he has, what he does, his business deals of importance, 
and, if the listener is busy it is usually just thrown away. But 
let the same caller take the personal standpoint of the listener, 
get into his being as it were, and the change is startling. The dis¬ 
cussion becomes alive. Salesmen appreciate this fact, perhaps 
more than men in any other calling. The bulk of business cor¬ 
respondence is, directly or indirectly, salesmanship in some form. 

Less of “we” and much more of “you” is the great need. 
“We” are not the buyers; “our” opinions are not the important 
things, except as they appeal as necessary to the prospective 
buyer. Many letters go through the mail, telling in slow-going, 
deep-sea language all about “our plant,” “our general equip¬ 
ment, ^ “ our volume of business, ” “ our special facilities, ” “ our 
ad infinitum,” ending by asking for the reader to send along 
the order. Very likely the latter wanted to be consulted far 
earlier in the prospectus. 

AVOID CIRCUMLOCUTION 

The proper method is to attack the attention of the reader 
right at the start and place the matter in his hands. A circular 
letter from a tailor-shop began “Your clothes are a hoodoo to 
you—unless—” etc. On receiving that letter, the first thing 
every man did was to take a quick survey of his apparel. It was 
a personal touch to say the least. Every member of the human 
race first considers matters from his point of view. The lower 
portion of a letter will do nicely for the sender’s considerations. 
The reader, finding he is of central importance is in an excel¬ 
lent mood to note the writer’s argument. A keen study of 
human nature is a basic point in knowing how tc compel a 
hearing. 

Given the reader’s attention at the start, do not let it relax 
for an instant. The strongest sentence of each paragraph where 


33 




MAKING THE LETTER PAY 


possible should be the first and last. When the argument is 
reached, boil it down to short, clean-stated facts, and make them 
stand out individually and in a manner that permits of the 
quickest possible grasp. It would seem, on the face of the ques¬ 
tion, that there is some justice in the rebellion which modern 
development proclaims against the old style salutations, openings 
and closings of letters. “Dear Sir: We are in receipt of yours of 

the tenth inst. We remain, yours very truly.” Reading 

this over and over again certainly does give a dead-level same¬ 
ness that is almost depressing. As an opposite extreme let me 
quote: “My dear Manager Jones: Your bully good letter 

arrived and appealed to me strongly. Well, Good-Bye. 

Hope to hear from you again. Your cordial well wisher.” This 
may be just a trifle flippant, but it has a breeziness to it in happy 
contrast to the centuries old, standardized form. What is the 
meaning of “Yours truly?” The dictionary gives a number of 
definitions. The business letter might be signed: “Yours ex¬ 
actly; yours justly; yours precisely; yours honestly; yours truth¬ 
fully.” Perhaps the fair and out expression should be: “Yours 
for the or^r,” or “Yours for business,” or “Yours for the 
money. ^ * Probably the better writers today conform slightly to 
precedent, departing as far therefrom as they feel will accord 
with the recipient's views. 

And this brings up a point. Letters to different persons 
should be given individual treatment. The man’s personality 
must be well in mind if the highest results are to be attained. 
On one man the abrupt, almost “nippy” style will work to a 
charm; on another, the strong note of persuasion; on a third; 
though less usual, the refined, graceful effort will be most ap¬ 
pealing. It is an excellent plan to picture your man opening 
and reading your letter and see if you can anticipate its effect 
while you are in the process of composing. 

TACT IS THE BEST WEAPON 

As difficult as the selling letter, perhaps is the dunning one, 
the request for money. Utmost care, almost delicacy, is needed 
when asking for so sensitive a thing as ready money. Here, more 


34 






MAKING THE LETTER PAY 


Sears, Roebucic Sa, Co. 

oniiCE OF 

COtJJWTY MANAGJ5K 


CHICAGO, 


tiookirjg over our rooorda a few d&ys ago., X itoticed 
you haven't hoan so good a cuatomoT of ours.;^.i^^ 
twelve months as you used to "be, and the more I looked 
at that record the more 1 wondered what we had done that 
caused you to practically stop trading with us* 

Finally I decided to drop you a line and ask, you whether 
you are willing to tell me, ^p^rsonally and ..frankly, 
what the trouble has been^ and: whether there i-s an 3 rthing 
we haven't done that we should have done, and whether there 
la anything we can KOW do to got you back an our list of 
regular'customers^ if we can we surely want to do it* 

Of course accidents -will happen at times, and tf one has 
happened in this case I hope you will tell me about it. I 
think I can fix it up the very day I get your latter. 

Won't you write me j>ersonally, on the back of this letter, 
and tell me just how you feel about trading with us7 
Please use the enclosed stamped envelope, as I: Want, your 
reply to come to my desk unopened. 




L5976 


Enc. Stamped finv. 


Very truly yours. 

Sears^ Roebuck & Co. 
Far 


County Kanagep. 

P. S.-^-'tYhy not send an order with your replyt I'll see that 
it is filled in a HORRY, and JUST RIGHTt The best catalog we 
have ever issued it just now coming off the press, and ! am 
sending you a copy of it today,. If It fails to arrivetell 
me. I hope you will look through It carefully. 


This letter was sent to 1520 customers who had not made purchases during the 
period of tv/elve to twenty months. 1049 responded—60 per cent. 226 had com¬ 
plaints to make which were adjusted at a total cost of $171. From the remainder 

$5400 was received in direct orders. 


3.5 










MAKING THE LETTER PAY 


than in any other form of letter, the man’s personality must be 
known. The harsh letter rarely can be used. Carefully studied 
persuasive persistence, with a double degree of tact, is usually 
the best weapon. We have long passed the age of the club and 
particularly where matters are recorded in writing. 

The mechanical arrangement of the letter is worthy of care¬ 
ful attention. The paragraphed '‘group” style is a popular 
favorite, and has several strong points of advantage. The at¬ 
tack upon the attention, when well done, is almost imperative; 
the thoughts are portioned out in mouthfuls as it were, to be 
taken or set aside as the reader pleases. Single spaced type¬ 
writing in this form permits of placing the whole letter on one 
page and is commendable. The point of margin can well be con¬ 
sidered. Wide margins lend a distinction in some business; in 
others, the standard distances are better. 

WRITE LEGIBLE SIGNATURES 

Some writers pride themselves on the individuality, com¬ 
plexity and distinction of their autographs, while others adopt 
a hurried scrawl. These are matters of personal choice, but, 
if there is nothing to the contrary, a good, clean, clear cut and 
legible signature is better than the one that has to be puzzled 
out, and usually is incorrectly interpreted. We are all in a hurry 
today and have not the time to speculate as to whether an ini¬ 
tial is an L or S. One should sacrifice individuality for legi¬ 
bility and remember that a bank cashier’s signature is not to be 
emulated as a model of clearness. 

Little points like folding, inserting, stamping and address¬ 
ing need not be dwelt upon, except to urge accurate careful¬ 
ness and cleanliness. A slanting crease not parallel with the 
typewriting always produces a little jar on a sensitive recipient. 
The little things count and often their total is tremendous. 

Probably the reader will not agree with me in all points 
as individuality of taste has a wide range, and its very range is 
the best thing for us all; otherwise, a monotonous sameness 
would result. But on the main point we do agree: If careful 
attention is given to all the phases of the business letter, the 


36 




MAKING THE LETTER PAY 


Jan 1. 1913 


Whittington and Morley, 

Camden, N. J. 

Gentlemen - Can we interest you in a propo¬ 
sition whioh would Involve the use of your waste lands 
along the lake front in Western Michigan‘S We have in yiew 
a prospective deal whioh would enable us to make you an 
offer which would cover their full value but it would be 
necessary for you to accept a block of stock in the new 
ooncem as part payment as there will not be enough cash 
in hand to put it through on a strictly cash basis. 

The proposition appeals to us as a good one and if you 
are In a position to consider it we shall be glad to lay 
before you the fullest details and to afford facilities 
for » most thorough investigation. 


Yours Sincerely. 



STYLE I—A style of typewriting not pleasing to the eye. 


37 






MAKING THE LETTER PAY 


Jan.l. 1»1J 


Whittington and Morlcy, 

Camden, H. J. 

Gentlemen:- Can we In¬ 
terest you In a proposition which would 
Involve the use of your waste lands a- 
lonc the lake front In Western Michigan? 
Wo have in view a prospective deal which 
would enable ns to make yon an offer 
whloh would cover their full value but 
it would be necessary for you to accept 
a block of stock in the new oonoern as 
part payment as there will not be enough 
cash in hand to put it through on a 
strictly cash basis. The proposition 
appeals to ns as a good one and if you 
are in e position to oonslder it we 
shall be glad to lay before yon the 
fullest details and to afford facilities 
for a most thorough investigation. 


Yours Slncerelv. 



STYLE II—Same letter, but still not pleasing. 


38 





MAKING THE LETTER PAY 


Jaiul, 1913 


Whittington and Morley, 

Camden. N. J 

Gentlemen:- Can we interest you in a 
proposition which would involve'the uee of your waste 


lands along the lake front in Western Michigan? , ffe 


have in view a prospective deal which would enable 
as to make you an offer which would oover their full 
value but it would be neoesaary for you to accept a 
block of stock in the new oonoem as part payment ea 
there will not be enough oash in hand to put it 
through on a strictly cash basis. The proposition 
appeals to us as a good one and If you are in a 
position to consider It we shall be glad to lay be¬ 
fore you the fullest details and to afford facilitlea 
for a most thorough investigation. 


Yours Sincerely, 



STYLE III—Same letter as I and II, but properly balanced. 


39 






MAKING THE LETTER PAY 


whole cannot help but produce a weight-carrying and effective 
appeal. 

There is a positive pleasure in receiving a well-constructed, 
all-around attractive letter. Even though at first you may not 
have the slightest interest in the subject, you cannot help but 
be impressed with the general effect, and some day you may do 
business with the sender. The letter arrives with a neat corner 
card at the left top, and the address well balanced. You open it 
and out drops a crisp, carefully folded sheet of paper. You 
spread it out before you; it seems neat, well arranged, attractive 
and every little thing in perfect accord. It plunges right in at 
the start to talk about you, your wants, desires and needs, you 
get one meaty little paragraph and you stop an instant, then 
plunge for the second; then the third, fourth, when perhaps that 
is all. It closes in a sincere, business-like, cordial way. Perhaps 
at the bottom a kernel thought is saved for the postscript. 

The sender wants something from you, and somehow it 
makes you feel like giving it. At any rate you remark: 

‘'Mighty nice letter, that.’' 


40 




THE FORM LETTER 

y 



41 



Even the letter of introduction or 
recommendation of today must 
of necessity be clear, concise, 
forceful and tactful. To secure 
an introduction or audience is 
one thing—to make that introduc¬ 
tion or audience impressive and 
mean something is another. 


42 






THE FORM LETTER 


CHAPTER V. 

A form letter is one which is specially prepared to cover 
a certain subject with the two-fold object of saving the time 
and expense of dictating it in each instance and at the same time 
making it more thoroughly readable than would be the case if 
it were dictated off-hand. Just because it is called a form letter 
it does not at all follow that it should be a stiff or formal affair. 
As a matter of fact a good form letter is quite the reverse. Some 
of the best letter-writing talent of our country is devoted to 
the getup of this sort of business literature and it is perfectly 
natural that this should be true. A specialist in this style of 
letters calls the form letter the “gum shoe” form of advertising 
and salesmanship, because what you say in a letter remains a 
secret between you and the person addressed, while open ad¬ 
vertising lets all the world into your plan as soon as it is pub¬ 
lished. The good form letter requires much greater talent in 
its production than a good dictated letter because the dictated 
letter is sent out in response to direct questions while the form 
letter is usually sent to one who has at best manifested but a 
mild interest. The direct question or statement allows us to 
plunge bluntly and directly into the subject at hand while the 
other must convey our story and at the same time sustain the 
very mild interest awakened by our advertising or other method 
of awakening it. 

A street-corner salesman faces much the same problem as 
a circular or form letter. He has as an audience the casual 
passer-by and must, in his “spiel,” attract and hold the wander¬ 
ing interest of his hearers by his ready wit while sandwiching 
in his arguments to make sales. 

Your form letter has much the same sort of a casual audi¬ 
ence because it is impossible to pick just the right person in 


43 


MAKING THE LETTER PAY 


sending the letter out. A salesman walks into a store or an 
office and makes inquiry for the man he wants to see—and he 
keeps persistently at it until he does see him. Your form letter 
has no such chance. Its fate rests with the one who first handles 
it. If he is not impressed it goes straight to the waste-basket 
and that’s the end of it. It gets no second chance so it must be 
attractive from the very outset. 

Thus the opening words of your letter are of the very 
greatest importance and its general appearance but little less 
important. Make your bow in the most impressive style pos¬ 
sible that a hearing may be assured. As with a dictated letter, 
it is your representative and should have an appearance which 
will procure for it a respectful hearing. A business man may 
stop to hear the story of a shabby and disreputable caller, but 
his attention will be far more willing and close if the caller has 
every appearance of being able to demand as a right what he 
asks as a favor. 

We spoke of the saving of expense as one of the purposes of 
the form letter. It would be absolutely impossible to handle 
the vast correspondence resulting from some of our modern 
advertising campaigns if all the resultant letters must be dic¬ 
tated, simply because of the impossibility of securing a staff 
of capable correspondents, if for no other reason. Added to 
this, the cost would be prohibitive. 

It costs anywhere from ten to fifty cents or even more to 
send out a dictated letter. This may seem an overestimate and 
a wide variation, but let us see. The cost will run about as 
follows: 


Cost of paper and envelope.$0.02 to $0.15 

Cost of stamp .02 to .02 

Cost of stenographer’s time.02 to .15 

Cost of dictator’s time.04 to .50 


$0.10 to $0.82 

A good stenographer can take dictation for and transcribe 
about forty average letters in a day’s work. How much each 


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9 


in. This is the second of the follow-up series. j-y ^ book-selling letter sales from this cost $2.25 each. 











\ 




second of the book series. VI. A letter for miscellaneous book sales. 










t 





48 












MAKING THE LETTER PAY 


letter costs for time spent by her will depend of course upon 
the length of the letter and the size of her salary—hence the 
variation. 

It is just the same as to the dictator. Just how much is to 
be charged to each letter on account of his labor, depends upon 
his speed and the size of his salary. 

You can safely figure on an average of over 25c for each 
dictated letter. 

Hence form letters are almost a necessity. 

In every line of business there are certain propositions 
which come up in practically the same form over and over again. 
If the letters in response to these propositions were to be dic¬ 
tated it would simply mean a repetition of the same answer or 
the same statement over and over again and to no good end. 
It does not follow that the form letter must necessarily be 
printed, for the dictator’s time is saved even if the letter is 
written on the machine. A form letter which hits the case will 
answer every purpose even better than a hastily dictated note, 
and there is little fear of its being exposed as such, for the same 
circumstance which called for the letter would hardly be likely 
to happen a second time with the same party. 

The greatest field for the form letter is in following inquiries 
which come in response to advertising. Suppose you have ad¬ 
vertised something which needs fuller description and illus¬ 
tration than the space available in your ad. will permit. The 
usual way is to ask for requests for your booklet or circular. 
The circular itself gives the fullest possible information, of 
course, but it is only printed matter at best and has nothing 
personal about it. The letter is necessary to make the sale in a 
vast majority of cases. Experiment on the part of many adver¬ 
tisers has shown that the effectiveness of the circular or booklet 
is increased to an enormous extent by the accompanying letter. 
If sales from the former when sent out alone are profitable the 
chances are that the letter will increase them over a hundred 
per cent. This has been demonstrated over and over again and 
is not open to question. The man from ‘"Missouri,” however, 


49 




MAKING THE LETTER PAY 


need not take it as a fact if he does not wish to. Let him take 
a number of inquiries from the same source and to one half of 
them let him send out the catalog alone, sending to the other half 
both the catalog and the well designed letter. If the number 
of inquiries in the test be large enough to allow a fair average, 
he will soon find that what is here stated is true and the result 
will be even more in favor of the letter if the catalog is of a 
large size. All this is because there is so much printed matter 
being sent out, that the average man has no time to read it all 
unless his attention be called particularly to it. 

Each one who responds to your ad. is necessarily given the 
same information and there is no gain in dictating your re¬ 
sponses and, as said before, the form letter being carefully pre¬ 
pared it is even likely to be better than your dictated letter. 
It must, however, be a good one, and the more nearly it ap¬ 
proaches a piece of dictation in appearance the better. 

A form letter differs from a circular letter in one thing only. 
A circular letter is frankly a circular—makes no pretense of be¬ 
ing anything else. A form letter is a circular letter masquerad¬ 
ing as a personally dictated affair. The only advantage the lat¬ 
ter has, then, lies in its deceptive character. If it is not skillful 
enough to deceive it might much better be honest and make no 
claims to being of a personal character. In other words, your 
form letter must look and sound like a personally dictated com¬ 
munication. 

There is a vast deal of money wasted in form letters. Peo¬ 
ple who ought to know better still persist in sending out letters 
which look no more like a dictated letter than a saw-log looks 
like a set of furniture. A day or two ago the writer received a 
letter from the office of one of our trans-continental railways. 
It is called to notice here because it is well fitted to serve as a 
''horrible example.’ ’ It could not be worse. In the first place it 
came under one-cent postage. With it were sent four pieces of 
printed matter—in the same envelope. The letter itself was 
printed on a cheap, flimsy, wood-pulp paper costing about three 
cents a pound. On the back was printed a map, and the letter 
was folded in such a fashion that it looked like the balance of 


50 




MAKING THE LETTER PAY 


the printed matter. Worst of all, the body of the letter was 
printed in red and the name and address were in purple. 

This letter responded to a direct inquiry regarding trans¬ 
portation costing over three hundred dollars. Needless to say, 
the road in question did not get the business. The natural in¬ 
ference was that a road so careless in its attention to an inquiry 
would probably be careless in attention to its patrons—a pretty 
fair excuse for taking trade elsewhere. The one who received 
your poorly executed letter may not analyze his reasons for 
turning it down but you must do so—and profit by the conclu¬ 
sions drawn. 

A form letter takes the place of a dictated letter and should 
be sent, like a dictated letter, under a two-cent stamp. There 
is a temptation to save on this item of postage by using one- 
cent stamps instead of two, but usually the saving is really a 
waste, because your one-cent letter misses the point by getting 
scant attention. A busy man sees at a glance that your one- 
cent letter is but a circular and if he reads it at all he reads 
it hastily—and shoots it promptly into the waste basket—and 
that’s the end of it. 

Which would you rather do—pay two-cent postage on a 
hundred letters and get attention on all, or even on one-half of 
them, or send them with a penny stamp and have two-thirds 
go promptly to the waste basket? The one-cent stamp is a poor 
investment unless your letter is frankly a circular. 

Appeals of certain sorts are as profitably made by means 
of the circular letter as in a filled-in form letter. A notice or 
a request which shows on its face that it has been made to a 
large number of people gains nothing from being made in a 
semblance of the dictated form. You would pay no more 
prompt attention to your gas bill if the president of the com¬ 
pany dictated a personal letter relative to it, than you give to 
the regular printed bill. 

Whatever the form, you know it to have been sent to every 
gas consumer in the same form, so it has no added effect. The 
form letter must have at least a semblance of excuse for its be- 


51 




MAKING THE LETTER PAY 


ing. Any one may send me a circular and I will consider it 
favorably or not as the case may be, but a dictated letter must 
explain why it is sent to me personally, and the explanation; 
must be a plausible one. An inquiry is a good enough reason 
for a dictated letter—and so you mention the inquiry as your 
excuse. But in sending a form letter to a list of names you must 
literally manufacture your excuse. 

This excuse or reason is a good thing to open your letter 
with in many cases, thus: 

“Your name has been given us as one of the leading 
shoe men of your city, and we want to lay our plan be¬ 
fore you before taking it up with others.'’ 

“You are one of the few really representative 
merchants from whom I do not receive regular orders. 
Hence this letter.’’ 

“Your trade comes from a class of people who want 
everything. ’ ’ 

The names to which your letter is sent may be numerous but 
it is not usually well to say so. Your prospective customer may 
be a mere unit—one of a crowd—but he does not like to be 
told of it even if he knows it, which he very possibly may. 

If you can show a good excuse for sending your letter your 
battle is half won. There abides in the mind of every man, 
woman and child the desire to be considered individually or 
as one of a more or less select class, hence the wisdom of the 
good excuse. Any one, no matter who, will tell you that he or 
she has no use for flattery, but it is never true. They all take 
flattery as freely as it may be oifered—but it must not be put 
on too thick. Just how far you can flatter to good advantage 
must be determined by your good judgment. To tell your cor¬ 
respondent that you are addressing yourself only to a certain 
select list of people is a form of flattery and one which will 
seldom awake an objection. 

Your form letter should be printed on good stationery— 
just as good as that used for your personally-dictated corres- 


52 







Above are shown a few different styles and sizes of letter heads. It is necessary 
In the preparation of letter heads for the ordinary mail order proposition to make 
it striking, attractive and dignified. The above specimens accomplish this. 


pondence. The better its appearance, the greater its chance of 
results—and results are what you want. Choose carefully the 
color in which it shall be printed and filled in. Let the ink be 
of a color which contrasts with the paper sufficiently to be easily 
read. Black, blue, green and purple are the commonly used 
colors. Red is occasionally used but is never desirable for the 
body of the letter. Green can only be used to good advantage 
on very light or white paper, and purple shows up poorly on 
blue paper. Purple has the great advantage of being easily 
matched—that is, it is quite easy to get ribbons of this color 
which will correspond to the color of the printed body. Black 
is one of the most easily matched colors if the ink for printing 
is properly chosen, but the printing ink must not be too black 
for almost all so-called black ribbons are not black at all, but 
gray. If the letter is printed by the process which uses a rib¬ 
bon instead of ink the difficulty of a good match is not great 


53 






MAKING THE LETTER PAY 


for a piece of the same ribbon used for printing the letter is 
used for filling-in, thus insuring a perfect match. 

You cannot place too much importance upon having your 
letter look in all points like a dictated letter and not a form 
letter. Better far leave off the name and address altogether 
than to have it so palpably a separate thing as to make it a 
laughing stock. You must remember that the public, whether 
business people or otherwise, are becoming educated on this 
subject, and your achievement must keep pace with their edu¬ 
cation. A short two or three years ago the general public did 
not know what a form letter or a filled-in letter was, but today 
you will find them criticising your letters freely, and it will do 
your proposition no good to have the criticism adverse. Neglect 
no point which will add a little to the appearance of the work 
you send out. The cost will be something, of course, but it will 
be well worth while. 

One means of making the letter look less like a circular is 
to run it through a copying press or machine after filling in. 
When this is to be done, both the body of the letter and the name 
and address are done with copying ink. The press leaves the 
letter with a slightly blurred appearance—not enough to harm 
it, but enough to mask any little shade of difference which may 
exist between the body and head. As many houses still copy 
all letters in this way, the appearance seems natural enough. 
For copying form letters, or rather for giving them the appear¬ 
ance of copied letters, a roller or cylinder press should be used, 
both because of the better job possible with that sort of press 
and because of the greater speed possible. There is a machine 
made for the purpose of producing this “copied’' effect which 
will handle letters with a speed limited only by the rapidity 
with which they may be fed to it. 

Look out for your ribbon if you attempt to follow this 
plan, for there are many ribbons on the market which show one 
color before copying and another and entirely different color 
afterward. For instance there are blue ribbons which leave a 
green copy and many purple ribbons change color very ma¬ 
terially in the process of copying. 


54 





Your letter may decide a sale, 
may straighten out a complaint, 
may make a customer. Too often 
business letters are written in 
haste without proper considera¬ 
tion, and the letter that brings 
results is the one in which thought, 
consideration from the recipient’s 
standpoint and argument are em¬ 
bodied to bring conviction. 














DISTRIBUTING AND MAILING 


CHAPTER VI. 

As the important work of correspondence and mailing is 
frequently handled there is waste of time and hence loss of 
money, and it is not unusual that those who perform the work 
are among the most inefficient of the employes. This is due 
almost entirely to a lack of systematic methods, and it is not 
unusual to find that the higher officials are most at fault. Yet 
their time, which is thus wasted, is the most expensive of any 
in the plant; its economy should be of the greatest importance. 
The several requirements of a successful system are: 

1. That mail be delivered in bulk to some designated and 
responsible person authorized to attend to its proper distribu¬ 
tion. 

2. That mail matter, particularly letters, be delivered to 
the proper officials to act upon in the shortest possible time. 

3. That urgent mail matter be acted upon with the least 
possible delay. 

4. That letters which require action by more than one 
official shall go first to the one having charge of the business 
which is most urgent, be promptly acted upon and transferred 
to the official having charge of the business standing next in 
importance, and so on until all the matters covered have received 
due attention. 

To fulfill these requirements the following system has been 
formulated from several plans in successful operation in es¬ 
tablishments of varying capacities and in cases of a consider¬ 
able variety in the nature of the business, the strength of the 
office force and the number of employes in the manufacturing 
departments. 


57 


WIAKING THE LETTER PAY 



THE AUTOMATIC ADDEESSING MACHINE. 

The automatic addressing machine now facilitates the handling of large lists of 
names with great rapidity. Where the names run into thousands, the most 
economical and inexpensive manner of handling follow-up letters or mailing cards 
is hy the installation of an automatic addresser. 

(Courtesy of the Addressograph Co.) 


58 












MAKING THE LETTER PAY 


The mail pouch is delivered to the chief clerk who opens all 
letters not addressed to private individuals and distributes them 
to the various heads of office departments and divisions as shown 
on the graphic chart given in Figure 1. Letters relating to 
Advertising, Estimating, Selling, and those for the Credit and 
Collection Division, as well as those of a general interest to the 
sales manager and the regular letters for the secretary of the 
company (who in this case is sales manager), are sent to 
the secretary, but arranged in separate lots for each division or 
office as above. Letters relating to the business of the office of 
president and that of general manager are turned over to the 
president who fills both offices. Letters relating to financial 
matters and not belonging particularly to the selling of the 
product go to the treasurer, as will also those relating to bank 
matters, accounting, purchasing, and shipping, although in 
separate packages. All letters for the factory manager, the 
business of the manufacturing departments, or for persons em¬ 
ployed therein, will be sent directly to the factory manager’s 
office. 


CLASSIFICATION OF OFFICIALS 
A business letter should relate to but one subject, but it is 
not unusual to receive those which relate to several matters and 
claim the attention of, or must be acted upon, by several dif¬ 
ferent officials. In this case the letter is sent first to the official 
having charge of the business requiring the most urgent atten¬ 
tion. This official acts on the matter and sends the letter to the 
proper official to have its next most important subject attended 
to. The manner of doing this is as follows: Every official whose 
duty it is to handle correspondence and reply to it, is known by 
his own initials, a letter of the alphabet, or, what is better, a 
number. With this plan these numbers will be as follows: 

1. President and General Manager. 

2. Treasurer. 

3. Secretary and Sales Manager. 

4. Factory Manager. 


59 




MAKING THE LETTER PAY 



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(Courtesy of the Addressograph Co.) 






















































































































MAKING THE LETTER PAY 


5. Advertising Manager. 

6. Preliminary Engineer. 

7. Sales Clerk. 

8. Credit and Collection Clerk. 

9. Cashier. 

10. Chief Accountant. 

11. Cost Keeper. 

12. Purchaser. 

13. Shipper. 

14. Filing Clerk. 

15. Mailing Clerk. 

16. Chief Stenographer. 

In sending letters to any of these officials the chief clerk 
will simply mark the proper number with a blue pencil. If the 
letter contains matters that should receive the attention of sev¬ 
eral officials all their numbers will be marked, and in the order 
in which the several matters should be taken up. 

For instance: A letter may be received containing a check 
and also asking for a quotation on a certain machine. It may 
also contain a complaint in reference to some machine which 
the customer has purchased and which does not seem to work 
properly. This should naturally go first to the cashier with the 
check; then to the sales manager for a quotation; then to the 
factory manager for his explanation of the mechanical matter. 
Hence the chief clerk will mark the letter ‘*9-3-4.” These let¬ 
ters will not be held for the regular distribution of the mail, but 
will be started on their route as soon as reached by the chief 
clerk, so that there may be no delay in giving them prompt and 
proper attention. 

When any official receives a letter that shows by the 
marks of the chief clerk it is to be acted upon and then sent to 
another official, it will take precedence over any ordinary letter 
or routine matter which he may have in hand, and he will at¬ 
tend to it promptly and send the letter to the next official for 
whom it is marked. 

To assist in the rapid classification of the mail, the portable 


61 




MAKING THE LETTER PAY 



The various methods of correcting prospects’ and customers’ lists ana¬ 
lyzed, showing the most effective means of keeping lists up-to-date 


(Courtesy of the 


Addressograph Co.) 


62 


























































































































MAKING THE LETTER PAY 


desk rack is used. This rack is placed upon the desk or table 
when in use, and when the work of distributing the mail is com¬ 
pleted it is set aside, out of the way, until needed for the next 
distribution. 

The letters having been delivered to the proper office, the 
official will place a number on each letter, in the order in which 
they are to be handled. 

While there are many routine letters to which replies may 
be dictated without any special preparation, important letters 
cannot usually be replied to in this off-hand manner. Conse¬ 
quently they should be carefully considered and notes made upon 
the principal points to be embodied in the reply. In making 
these notes all necessary data, information, terms, etc., should be 
ascertained by the official himself, his clerk, or others, as may be 
necessary, and such documents as may be needed from the filing 
room, will be procured, and together with the notes attached to 
the letters. These preliminary matters being properly arranged 
the stenographer may be called in and the replies dictated with 
no interruptions or delays. 

Ordinarily the letter that is being replied to may be handed 
to the stenographer as soon as the reply is dictated and kept with 
it until the corrected letter of reply is handed to the official to 
sign. This will not only save the time taken to dictate and write 
out the address, but will also save the time that frequently oc¬ 
curs in taking the names of persons, streets and cities in short¬ 
hand. 

This will apply to a large majority of letters of a routine 
nature in which the reply wil] consist of perhaps half a dozen 
lines. If the letter is of such a nature that the official does not 
wish it to go to the stenographer’s room he will dictate the 
address in the usual manner. 

Carbon copies are made of all letters and these are corrected 
the same as the original and turned in with the corrected letter. 
After the letter has been signed it is returned to the stenographer 
who will pass it, with an addressed envelope, to the mailing clerk. 

The mailing room is in charge of a mailing clerk and all mat¬ 


es 




MAKING THE LETTER PAY 


ters prepared in other offices are sent here to be folded, sealed, 
stamped and mailed. In a large establishment the expense of 
operating this room is considerable consisting principally in the 
amounts paid for postage stamps, although the item of labor is 
also an important matter. The fact that the postage expense is 
made up of many small items, principally in one and two-cent 
stamps, renders it necessary that a good and efficient system for 
handling these matters shall be in force, or there will be a consid¬ 
erable loss in this direction, as we frequently have occasion to 
notice when the totals are made up, and the expense is found to 
run far beyond our calculations. Not only in the number of 
stamps used, but in the work of the different employes and their 
individual efficiency, is it necessary that there should be accu¬ 
rate records. 

Recent postal laws provide for mailing permits to be issued 
by the local postmasters, covering third-class mail matter, and by 
which the use of stamps for this class is avoided by the payment 
of the equivalent amount in cash. This also avoids the labor of 
applying the stamps, which is a considerable saving. 

To avoid elaborating the accounts and reports the amount 
in cash paid for postage under these special permits will be con¬ 
sidered the same as if stamps were actually drawn and used. 
If it is desired to distinguish these amounts from those in which 
actual stamps are used they may be written in red ink. 

DETERMINING EFFICIENCY OF EMPLOYES 

A form for a daily time card for the mailing room employes, 
each of whom fills out one of these, giving the kind and amount 
of the work done is desirable. Under the heading describing 
the kind of work will be entered the department for which it is 
done. By this means the information is recorded from which the 
postal expenses of each department are made up. The number of 
pieces being recorded, and also the time at which each kind of 
work was commenced and completed, the elapsed time is com¬ 
puted, and the rate of pay being known, the cost per piece of per 
hundred pieces is found. 

By this method the value or efficiency of each employe is 


64 




MAKING THE LETTER PAY 


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three years ago, but observe how the good will of 
the other two articles has quickly helped to give 
the baby more sales than either of its parents. 




























































































































MAKING THE LETTER PAY 


ascertained and those who fall below a reasonable percentage 
may give way to some more efficient worker. As a matter of 
economy of expenditures and as an encouragement to ambitious 
workers a considerable portion of the mailing room work may be 
done '‘by the piece” (or at a rate of so much per hundred pieces). 
In this case the same card form may be used, but it should be of 
a different color from that used by those who work by the day. 

From these daily time cards showing the amount of work 
done by the different employes the following valuable items of 
information are obtained: 

1. The volume of work done in the room. 

2. The amount of work done for each department. 

3. The amount of work done for each individual. 

4. The costs of the work as specified under each of the 

above paragraphs. 

5. The necessary data with which to fill out the daily re¬ 
port of the mail matter handled in the room. 

It is therefore readily seen that much care on the part of 
the employes and of supervision on the part of the mailing clerk 
should be exercised to have these cards as accurate as possible. 
A daily report form is used to show a summarized form con¬ 
venient for comparison with other daily reports: 

First, the entire operations of the room for the day and the 
postage expenses. 

Second, the work done for each department and the postal 
expenses of each. 

Third, the amount of each class of mail matter handled and 
its expense for postage. 

ALL MAILING ROOM OPERATIONS SUMMARIZED 

Thus we have all the essential facts of the operations in the 
mailing room except that of labor, which is given in detail 
in the daily time cards, which are used not only to obtain data 


66 




MAKING THE LETTER PAY 


for this report but later by the timekeeper for making his pay¬ 
roll. 

A requisition for postage stamps is made up from the Daily 
Report, and when approved by the secretary, is authority for 
drawing them from the cashier to whom this requisition becomes 
a voucher. If cash is required with which to pay the postage 
under a special permit, the amount will be entered in red ink in 
the space showing the amount in stamps for each piece of mail 
matter covered by the cash called for. In the same space, an 
entry may also be made in black ink for the postage stamps of 
the denomination shown at the head of the column. This Requi¬ 
sition will be made out daily and must show the amounts carried 
over from the previous day, as well as the amounts required for 
the current day. 

The Weekly Account of Postage is made up from the Daily 
Report and is simply a weekly summary showing the total ex¬ 
pense for the week, and also its distribution to the several de¬ 
partments for whom it was done. The information here given 
and the amounts paid for labor and material, plus general ex¬ 
penses, will be made up by the advertising division and will 
show the total expenses for each department, each kind of work, 
and the final totals of these costs. 

The mailing clerk being personally responsible for the cash 
and postage stamps furnished to his room will draw only such 
amounts as are needed day by day and keep them in his desk, 
issuing them as they may be required for the work in hand. 

Whatever may be the kind or extent of the business trans¬ 
acted by the concern there will be a regular mailing list, for 
which there will be a Card Index. 

There should be an Index Card for every name to which 
advertising matter is sent, without regard to the method of ad¬ 
dressing the wrappers, envelopes or labels used, and whether 
it is by some mechanical device, as is in common use for this 
purpose, or by the typewriter, or written by hand. By the use of 
a card index new names may be added at any time without dis- 


67 




MAKING THE LETTER PAY 


arranging the regular order, and obsolete names may be with¬ 
drawn in the same manner. 

In the management of the routine business of the room, the 
mailing clerk should so arrange the work as to have jobs ahead 
for each one of the employes so that there may be no delay in 
commencing a new job when the current one is finished. A board 
is divided into vertical columns, 3 inches wide, and by horizontal 
lines 1% inches apart, one of which is assigned to each employe, 
whose name appears in the first column. In each of the spaces 
formed by these lines except those in the first column, are small 
sheet metal clips, which serve to hold a card placed under them. 

The names of the employes are written on slips of paper, 
one of which is gummed to each space in the first column, form¬ 
ing a list of employes. In the column marked “In Progress’" 
are placed cards upon each of which is written the work upon 
which the employe is at present engaged. In the other columns 
are placed similar cards describing the succeeding jobs assigned 
to the same person and which are to be taken up in regular order. 
By this means the mailing clerk may plan the work of the room 
at such times during the day as he can most conveniently spare 
the time to devote to its consideration, and assign the different 
jobs to the employes best adapted to each kind of work. 

When an employe has finished one job, another can be taken 
up without delay, even if the mailing clerk is temporarily ab¬ 
sent from the room, by removing from the rack the card in the 
column of “In Progress’’ and substituting the waiting card in 
the next column. The card removed from the board will be 
placed on the mailing clerk’s desk as a notice that the job is 
completed and a glance at the cards on the board will inform 
him that the next job is under way. 

In a general way the system for handling the correspond¬ 
ence and mailing of even a large volume of business will work 
smoothly and efficiently, hence it will result not only in all work 
being done promptly and in due order but with proper economy. 


68 




MAKING THE LETTER PAY 



Remember, it is a man’s job to turn an inquiry 
into a sale. If your product has merit, if it is 
honestly made, if it will bear examination, half 
the battle is won when the inquiry is received. 
The other half is up to you. 


69 






THE CORRESPONDENCE FILE 


CHAPTER VII. 

CLASSIFIED SUBJECT INDEX 

Every day the importance of the correspondence file is be¬ 
coming more and more apparent. The plan usually followed of 
having all correspondence filed in alphabetical order by the name 
of the writer, with no index whatever, is all right in some offices 
but has no place in others. 

For example, in a railroad office under that method it is 
practically impossible to produce all the papers on a certain sub¬ 
ject, owing to the papers having been filed by the names of the 
writers, some of which names were certain to have been forgot¬ 
ten. Formerly, it was not always considered necessary to have 
all the papers relating to a certain subject when deciding a 
question, but nowadays “precedent” is a very important word. 
“Did we ever do this for any one?” “What has been the prac¬ 
tice heretofore in this matter?’’ These are every-day questions 
now—and to answer them, the complete file on the subject must 
be in hand. 

Perhaps the word most familiar in business life at the pres¬ 
ent time is “Rush! ’ ’ and it is particularly applicable to the hand¬ 
ling of correspondence. It is no longer a case of “Please see if 
you can find our papers on that subject;” what we now hear 
is: “Get those papers at once!” 

Just a little illustration of necessity for the file-clerk being 
able to give practical proof that he is “on to his job:” It hap¬ 
pens frequently—not once a month, but probably several times 
a day—that the chief of the office, in a telephone conversation, 
will say, “Hold the line just a second until I get my file.” If 
the file-clerk is unable to produce the papers forthwith, woe unto 


70 



71 


AN IDEAL OFFICE ARRANGEMENT. 

(Courtesy of the Macey Co.) 


























































































MAKING THE LETTER PAY 


him! But he almost invariably does produce them, and with 
surprising dispatch. 

By reason of the changed conditions the office boy has been 
displaced in the matter of correspondence filing by a clerk who 
is generally one of the better paid men in the office. His salary 
is none too large, for the work demanded of him requires good 
judgment and steady application, and because of the nature of 
a large part of the correspondence, all of which is of course ac¬ 
cessible to him, he must be worthy of the entire confidence of 
his employer. 

By what methods of filing are the results mentioned above 
accomplished? 

So far as the filing of the correspondence itself is concerned, 
nearly every railroad office follows the same plan, namely, to 
give each subject a number and to file the papers in numerical 
order. 

It is in indexing the subjects that different opinions are en¬ 
countered, and, of course, it must be understood that the index 
is the primary factor in the scheme. The fastening together of 
papers and giving them a number is a simple matter, which any 
boy can attend to; but to index them so they can be got at with¬ 
out a moment’s delay and so that when correspondence comes 
into the office from time to time there will be no difficulty in 
immediately determining whether there are any papers upon the 
same subject already in the file—that is an entirely different 
matter. 

A great many offices, perhaps the majority, have what may 
be termed a Straight Alphabetical Index” which is used in the 
following manner. The correspondence is given a number and 
the subject written on the index card with a reference to such 
number, and then the card is placed in the index file. These 
cards are filed alphabetically. New subjects and numbers are 
assigned from time to time as the papers are received by the 
file-clerk, and the assignment of such subjects is left entirely 
to his judgment. 

Some offices, however, have adopted a slightly different 


72 




MAKING THE LETTER PAY 



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MAKING THE LETTER PAY 


plan for filing the index cards, and the scheme seems to be a 
good one in actual practice. It may be called the “Classified 
Subject Index.” First, a list is made of all the subjects on 
which the office is likely to have correspondence, and the aini 
is to keep these general subjects down to the lowest number 
practicable. Such a list for a transportation official’s file, for 
instance, would probably include the following general subjects: 

Accidents 

Accounts, Vouchers and Bills 
Advertising 
Agreements 
Contracts 
Leases 
Permits 
Baggage 
Bridges 

Burglaries and Thefts 
Car Service 
Circulars 
Claims 
Freight 
Baggage 
Personal Injury 
Coal, Coke, etc. 

Company Supply 
Commercial 

Earnings and Expenses 
Equipment 

Passenger Cars 
Freight Cars 
Engines 

Company Service 
Train Service 
Freight 
Passenger 
Special 
and so on. 


74 




MAKING THE LETTER PAY 



The illustration above is of the ordinary four-drawer 81/2 x 11 inch correspondence 
file on sanitary base. These correspondence files can now be secured in single 
units of 1 , 2 , 3 and 4 drawers each, so that if a uniform filing system is desired, 
complete sections can be placed side by side, making the system complete. 

(Courtesy of the Macey Co.) 







MAKING THE LETTER PAY 


The index cards are then filed in accordance with the list. 

The advantages claimed for this scheme over the straight 
‘‘Alphabetical Index” are these: It often happens that there is 
considerable doubt as to what may be considered the subject 
matter of the correspondence. With the “Straight Index” sys¬ 
tem the file clerk must determine each time papers are received, 
the general subject under which the papers are to be indexed 
and then search the index file to see if there is already such a 
subject. If he does not happen to find a card under what has at 
the time occurred to him to be the subject he will make out a 
new card and place it in the file. It may be that he would de¬ 
cide that the subject was “Fuel, purchase of” and file a card 
under “Fuel.” Some time later, he (or perhaps another file- 
clerk) receives some papers the subject matter of which he be¬ 
lieves to be “Coke, purchase of” and he files a card unden 
“Coke,” entirely losing sight of the previous similar subject. 
As a matter of fact, the two subjects might have been so nearly 
alike that they should have been handled as one subject and 
filed together. 

Under the “Classified Subject” system when the first lot of 
papers was received, the file-clerk would have consulted the list 
and at once have seen that the subject “Coal, Coke, etc.,” would 
cover the matter, and have indexed it under that general head¬ 
ing. When the second batch of papers came in, his reference to 
the list would have led him to refer to the cards under “Coal, 
Coke, etc.,” and have resulted in the two sets of papers being 
either filed together, or, if kept separate, a note made referring 
from one file to the other. 

In other words, the file clerk instead of trying to guess as 
to the general subjects and looking them up in the “Straight 
Index” would, under the other plan, refer to a list of permanent 
subjects, a glance at which would give him the desired informa¬ 
tion, and make unnecessary the “pawing over” of hundreds of 
index cards, and to a great extent eliminate the chance of papers 
on similar subjects becoming separated. It is claimed that with 
the “ Classified Subject Index” anyone other than the regular 
file-clerk can locate the papers without much delay, a quick 


76 




MAKING THE LETTER PAY 



1 2 

Illustration No. 1 shows the most efficient manner of handling transferred cor¬ 
respondence. Card-board boxes in inexpensive racks that can be added to as 
desired, form an economical method for this purpose. 

Illustration No. 2 shows the individual combination filing cabinet. Drawers for 
any purposes whatever can be secured. The above illustration shows SVzX. 11 
inch correspondence drawers, five cut or blue print drawers, two storage or 

record drawers. 

(Courtesy of the Macey Co.) * 


77 













MAKING THE LETTER PAY 


reference to the list of subjects generally starting him on the 
right track. 

As an adjunct to the “Classified Subject Index” some of¬ 
fices use a “Proper Name File,” which has been found to be very 
useful. In this file all proper names are alphabetically indexed, 
the cards being a cross index on the subjects. This adjunct is 
used as follows: Papers have been filed concerning a complaint 
from John Smith as to inadequate seating accommodations on 
train No. 10. These papers have been properly indexed under 
the general subject “Train Service” and can be readily found 
under that heading, but if it is known that “John Smith” made 
the complaint the papers can be found, perhaps, more quickly, 
by referring to his name in the index of proper names, as the 
possibilities are there will be but one card under that particular 
name, which would make it more easily found than the desired 
card under the large subject of “Train Service.” 

Again, the correspondent often has the idea that John Smith 
previously wrote him about the same or similar subject. It 
would be a difficult matter for the file-clerk to state positively 
whether that were so unless he had indexed under that gentle¬ 
man’s name the subjects on which they had had correspondence 
with him. 

But the “Proper Name File” can never take the place of 
the subject file, as in many cases the names of the writers on a 
certain subject cannot be given offhand. 

It is the general practice to use two or more cards in indexing 
each subject, that is, cross index the subject. If the person look¬ 
ing for certain papers does not find the card under what he con¬ 
siders the proper subject, he can generally find it under an al¬ 
ternate subject or cross index. For example, suppose he is look¬ 
ing for the papers relative to the accident at Jersey City, when 
train No. 10 was derailed. If he does not readily find the card 
under “Accidents,” he would naturally try “Stations, Jersey 
City.” And then, too, the cross index is valuable in the case of 
any error in writing out the index card. The wrong number may 
be on one card, but the probabilities are that it would be cor¬ 
rectly given on the cross index card. It is very easy to imagine 


78 





MAKING THE LETTER PAY 


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o ^ o JU 
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^ c«.S*+= 

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ss &a 

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79 























































































































































ALPHABETICAL 


1 . 

The illustration above shows the alphabetical arrangement for filing corre 

spondence. See Text. 

(Courtesy of the Macey Co.) 



The illustration 


above shows the most efficient way of handling 
spondence. See Text. 

(Courtesy of the Jlacey Co.) 


follow-up corre- 


80 





















































3. 

The illustration above pictures the geographical arrangement for handling corre¬ 
spondence. See Text. 

(Courtesy of the Macey Co.) 



4. 

The illustration above shows the numerical system for filing correspondence. 

See Text. 

(Courtesy of the Macey Co.) 

81 










































































MAKING THE LETTER PAY 


what would be the result if the correct number of the subject 
could not be found in the index. It would mean the laborious 
task of wading through’’ the whole correspondence file. 

It should be understood that under each of the general sub¬ 
jects in the index file, there will probably be quite a number of 
cards, all arranged alphabetically. For example: Take the gen¬ 
eral subject of “Train Service.” There will be the cards relat¬ 
ing to train service in general, followed by the cards covering 
subjects referring to particular trains; perhaps something like 
this: 


Train Service. 

Passenger: 

Train No. 10—Complaint of inadequate seating accommo¬ 
dations. 


File No. 899. 


which card may be immediately followed by one reading: 


Train Service. 


Passenger: 

Train No. 12—Request for scheduled stop at Trenton. 

File No. 54. 


No matter what system is adopted, a great deal depends 
upon the file-clerk; his position is not an easy one, nor is it al¬ 
ways congenial. He very seldom hears any comments about his 
work except when the files cannot be found promptly—and the 
trouble in such cases is often chargeable to the correspondent 
himself, who has handed the file to some other officer of the 
company without having notified the file-clerk so that the latter 
could make the necessary record. The latter may make occa¬ 
sional mistakes—and any delay in getting papers for the “chief” 
while he waits is measured in seconds and not in minutes—but, 
as a rule, much credit is due to that clerk who picks out a cer¬ 
tain file from thousands of others while the other fellow “holds 
the line.” 


82 




MAKING THE LETTER PAY 


FILING 

ALPHABETICAL 

The alphabetical system of filing is generally much more 
satisfactory than the numerical, especially when folders, either 
blank or tabbed, are used in connection with the guides. In 
filing alphabetically the first thing to determine is the number 
of divisions required. This will vary with the kind of business 
and the class of correspondence. A firm doing a mail order 
business or a large part of their business with consumers will 
have a miscellaneous lot of correspondence, and will therefore 
require a large subdivision of the alphabet so that the corre¬ 
spondence can be filed quickly. For this class of correspondence 
about 60 or 80 divisions for each drawer would be ample. 

A firm doing business with jobbers or dealers will, of course, 
not require such a large subdivision, and about 40 divisions to 
a drawer will be sufficient. For active accounts we would rec¬ 
ommend the use of folders, as these will not only simplify filing 
but will keep the correspondence from each individual together. 
If the correspondence from any one individual becomes too bulky 
for one folder, it would be an advantage to have a special index 
guide printed with this particular name and then file the cor¬ 
respondence in folders printed with the names of the months. 

GEOGRAPHICAL 

Ordinarily we would recommend the alphabetical system 
of filing, but in cases of a firm having a large correspondence 
from all parts of the country, or for a firm finding it necessary 
to refer to correspondence from certain localities or towns, the 
geographical system is preferable. In filing geographically, 
town guides with the names of the larger towns are used. It 
may be advisable to divide the larger towns by a separate 
alphabetical index, depending upon the amount of cor¬ 
respondence from such towns. The balance would be filed al¬ 
phabetically by towns. When more than one town appears 
under a letter, a plain or tabbed folder should be used to sepa¬ 
rate the correspondence. 


83 




MAKING THE LETTER PAY 


NUMERICAL 

This system is now used only when the alphabetical system 
cannot be used to advantage. For instance, a railroad receiving 
reports from all sections of the road and from other towns could 
not very well file in any other manner than by subject, as it is 
necessary to keep all information on a single subject together. 
All such correspondence is given a number and placed in a plain 
folder having a corresponding number. The numbered folders 
are usually separated every ten numbers by indexes with the 
projections on the left end numbered by 10’s. 

For the purpose of indexing these numbers a suitable card 
index is required, the index cards being filed alphabetically or 
geographically. When a correspondence is opened a number is 
assigned and the proper card filled out with the name, address 
and filing number indicated. When subsequent correspondence 
is received reference to the card index shows this number, which 
is then marked on the letter itself. The separate card index also 
permits of unlimited cross-indexing. 

FOLLOW-UP 

For a follow-up system it would be best to use one or more 
drawers of the letter file. Two or more sets of daily guides can 
be used in connection with one set of monthly guides. File the 
letters on the date of the month on which you wish them to 
have attention. Also file a slip in the regular file, and on this 
slip indicate the date on which the letter is filed, so if you have 
occasion to refer to it before it comes out on its regular date, 
you will know just where to find it. As the follow-up dates are 
changed, the new date should be marked on the slip in the corre¬ 
spondence file. 


84 





NUMERICAL CLASSIFICATION OF 
CORRESPONDENCE 

CHAPTER VIII. 

CLASSIFIED NUMERICAL CORRESPONDENCE FILE 

This system is designed to index and classify correspond¬ 
ence pertaining to transactions with customers and will consti¬ 
tute a central filing station for correspondence emanating from 
sales and credit and collection departments, as well as commu¬ 
nications from order and traffic departments dealing with dates 
of shipment, delays in transit, etc. 

The file is divided into two sections. Numerical and Miscel¬ 
laneous. The Numerical section contains correspondence with 
actual customers and the Miscellaneous section may contain cor¬ 
respondence with prospective customers and all other classes of 
communications, provided the volume of correspondence of the 
company is not too large. 

Each customer is assigned a specific number, the names be- 


85 







MAKING THE LETTER PAY 


ing listed in an alphabetical card index, the cards constituting 
a guide to the folders in the filing cabinets, bearing correspond¬ 
ing numbers. In the Miscellaneous section the alphabetical 
principle obtains throughout. Divisions are first made for each 
state and foreign country, and folders made for each town, the 
requirements in this direction being indicated by the corre¬ 
spondence as it comes to the file. In case the correspondence from 
any one town is too voluminous to enable the filing clerk to pick 
out any particular letter quickly, several folders may be pro¬ 
vided showing alphabetical divisions, in which case the letters 
are filed according to the name of the correspondent. 

The chief departure in the operation of this system from 
the manner in which a vertical file is generally operated, is the 
fact that file numbers are placed on incoming mail prior to dis¬ 
tribution to departments. Letters intended for the Miscellaneous 
section should be so indicated, using a small check mark for 
this purpose. The principal advantage in the use of this system 
will be found in the Accounting Department where the file num¬ 
bers should be used to serve as page numbers for the Sales 
Ledger, thus saving the time ordinarily used by the book-keeper 
in referring to an index. This idea is applicable only to the 
modern forms of card and loose leaf ledgers. 

METHOD OF OPERATION 

The method of operation as herein described is that em¬ 
ployed in an office handling an average of about 500 orders per 
day, and to illustrate the idea we will follow the course of an 
order from the time it is delivered to the office in which incoming 
mail is distributed until it arrives at the file. 

After the date of receipt is stamped on the order the file 
number is placed in the most convenient location, generally in 
the upper right hand corner. The order is then delivered to 
the Sales Department in the usual way and should any particu¬ 
lar feature cr specification of the order necessitate correspond¬ 
ence between manufacturer and customer, the file number should 
be noted on the outgoing communication, this number of course. 


86 




MAKING THE LETTER PAY 


showing on the carbon copy, which takes care of it so far as 
filing is concerned. Customers in many cases will refer 
to the file numbers in their reply, which of course lessens 
the work of clerks in numbering incoming mail. The order is 
in due time transmitted to the Order Department to be con¬ 
verted into manufacturing or shipping order, on which the file 
number is shown. Invoices are made out direct from custom¬ 
er's orders and file numbers shown thereon. When the book¬ 
keeper posts the charge to the customer's account he refers to 
the ledger page indicated by the file number on the copy of the 
invoice. If immediate payment is made the invoice will in many 
cases be returned for receipt, and the credit may be posted there¬ 
from in the same manner. Remittances from customers using 
the voucher system may be similarly handled. Statements 
mailed the first of each month also bear the file number. 

All correspondence from the Credit & Collection Depart¬ 
ment should bear the file number, unless it pertain to the com¬ 
mercial reputation of a '‘prospect," which information is usually 
filed separately. 

In whatever form customers' records are preserved in the 
Sales Department the file number should always be shown 
thereon. 


ASSIGNMENT OF FILE NUMBERS 

In the plan for determining file numbers each state is rep¬ 
resented by a letter or combination of letters of the alphabet, 
or if considered advisable, by the abbreviations commonly used. 
The town in each state in which the company transacts the 
greatest volume of business may be known as No. 1 for that state," 
or if more convenient the towns may be considered alphabet¬ 
ically or according to their rank in population. The largest 
customer located therein may be designated as No. 1 for that 
town. For example, let it be assumed that Massachusetts is 
indicated by AA; Boston, the town in which the greatest volume 
of business is transacted, by AA-1, and the Brown Manufactur¬ 
ing Company, the largest customer in that city, AA-1-1. The 
second largest customer in Boston will be numbered AA-1-2. 


87 




MAKING THE LETTER PAY 


Let Springfield be considered as ranking next in volume of busi¬ 
ness. The largest customer there will be AA-2-1, and the next 
largest AA-2-2. As will readily be seen no arbitrary list of sym¬ 
bols for states and foreign countries can be arranged to fit any 
and all business. It remains for those having a knowledge of the 
volume of sales and the territory covered to furnish information 
on which to base the assignment of file numbers at the time of 
installation, after which the system will automatically disclose 
the next number to be used when a new customer is added to the 
list. 


EQUIPMENT 

The equipment will consist of (1) a card index of 3x5" 
cards for customers’ names, the number of guide cards being 
sufficient to make any name easily accessible. (2) A Cabinet 
containing “Town Cards” 5x8" on which are listed the names 
of customers according to number. This Cabinet is divided into 
sections according to states and foreign countries, and the 
town cards are also arranged alphabetically by means of 
guide cards. Immediately following the guide card bearing 
the name of the state and preceding the “A” card of the 
alphabetical index, is placed card or cards on which are 
listed the names of cities and towns in that state in which 
customers are located. These cards furnish a guide to the 
towns in each state while the town cards show the names 
of customers in any particular town. It is by this arrange¬ 
ment that the number of a new customer is determined. For 
illustration: The Smokeless Coal Company, Charleston, W. 
Va., sends an order. In looking through the file we find there 
is no card for this company. Reference is then made to the 
Charleston town card and we find that the name is not listed 
there, consequently the Smokeless Coal Company is a new name 
on our records. We note that the symbol for West Virginia is 
“EE,” while Charleston is No. 2; we have at present three cus¬ 
tomers there, therefore our next number will be EE-2-4. In case 
the order comes from a firm in a town in which we have pre¬ 
viously transacted no business, the number of the new town is 
determined by referring to the state card. 


88 




MAKING THE LETTER PAY 



89 



































































































MAKING THE LETTER PAY 


(3) Filing cases and folders. The filing cabinets are labeled 
to indicate the territory covered. Folders are made for each 
customer and the file number shown by the customer’s index is 
noted thereon. In case there may be correspondence from the 
Credit and Collection Department under a particular number, 
a second folder of a different color may be made for that cus¬ 
tomer, to provide for a separation of credit and collection cor¬ 
respondence from that emanating from other departments. 

(4) Transfer cases. When sufficient correspondence has 
collected in a folder to make it inconvenient to handle, the papers 
should be placed in chronological order in a transfer case bear¬ 
ing the same file number and also showing the earliest date 
shown on the correspondence. When the case has been filled the 
date of the last letter placed therein should be shown just below 
the first date to indicate the interval covered, and then stored, 
another case taking its place. Transfer cases for correspondence 
in the Miscellaneous section should be fitted with alphabetical 
subdivisions in order that the letters may be arranged in the 
same manner as when taken from the file. The cases should 
bear the names of states and also show by dates the period cov¬ 
ered. If the correspondence from any one town is sufficiently 
large, a separate case may be used, bearing the name of the town. 

When a card is written up for a new customer reference 
should be made to the Miscellaneous File for previous corre¬ 
spondence. Such correspondence should then be numbered ac¬ 
cordingly and placed in the numerical file. 

For various reasons, such as changes in firm name, re¬ 
movals, reorganizations, etc., it is sometimes necessary to alter 
records and change file numbers. When such change is made, all 
correspondence in the file should be renumbered and placed in 
the new folder, and a note placed in the old folder explaining the 
change, so that any correspondence appearing in the filing room 
bearing the old number will be brought to the attention of the 
filing clerk, who will see that it is renumbered and placed in the 
new folder. 

This system might be styled an evolution from the basic 


90 




MAKING THE LETTER PAY 


principles of Vertical Filing, containing all the advantages of 
that system, and containing special advantages, among which 
may be mentioned greater efficiency in the Accounting Depart¬ 
ment by eliminating the use of a separate index, and effective 
consolidation of the work of Sales, Order, Credit and Collection 
and Accounting Departments, giving rise to a better understand¬ 
ing in each department of the work of other departments, which 
condition naturally produces a more effective safeguard against 
errors. 





0AV 


CORBESPONDENCE 

FOE CONSlEEEATlOn 

DECIDED 


7/7 

CoQcb^ Eiec* 

Cannot -make »i ring on the 1 l^tk. floor 

-withdut 'borla# thronghtlle walliu;?. 
Danage «lll aaioont to $13 

Musi replace 

tiles at own 
cost, i 


7/6 

L*W.Kaith.ArcMt©ct, 

Demands explanation rega^dlag the > 

reconstruetioa of 

Eld SO onadvice 
of City Engineer 

Triday 

t/» 

Waierial Torcisan.S.P. 
Olfionw 

Ken will be idle on Monday onloss 
sandstone shipment Is received. 

Send wire to 
.^quarry boss; / 

vn 

Chief Of Police, 

ObstiTuctlngroadway uneccesarily 
with material♦ Had complaints. 

Will corsply 
with reciuest, . 

Sat. 

7/1S 

Materltti Toreaan. S, 
P, Olson, y 

Coaplalns that hbicks are not 
of (iuality called for in contreet* 

Investlgatef, 


THE FILE GUARD 


CHAPTER IX. 

In every large office more or less confusion is caused on ac¬ 
count of correspondence being out of the files which cannot be 
located without consulting all of the people who are accustomed 
to obtain correspondence for reference. This is particularly 
true where there are several correspondents. 

One correspondent sends to the file for a letter of a certain 
date from John Doe and before he has returned it to the files, 
some other department wishes to consult the same letter. The 
filing clerk, as a rule, does not remember to whom the letter was 
given and knows only that it is not in the files. This results in 
an exasperating delay, to say nothing of the loss of time in 
searching for the letter. 

The problem of keeping track of correspondence when it 
is out of the files has been satisfactorily solved in a very simple 
manner, by each correspondent, who has authority to call for 
letters from the files being furnished with a requisition on the 
filing clerk for certain correspondence. This is filled in, signed 
and dated by the correspondent and sent to the files. When the 


92 











MAKING THE LETTER PAY 


filing clerk delivers the correspondence, this slip is placed in the 
file as a charge against the correspondent. 

When a requisition for correspondence is received, the filing 
clerk delivers the folder with all the correspondence, so that if 
one letter does not give the desired information, the correspond¬ 
ent will have before him all letters bearing on the subject. 

When the folder is taken from the file, another folder of a 
color which is a strong contrast to the regular folders, is put into 
the file in place of the original, and the requisition slip is placed 
inside of this colored folder. As manila is the color usually 
adopted for the regular folders, red or blue is a good color for 
the special folders. These can be furnished by any printer, and 
very ordinary paper stock will answer the purpose. 

The advantage of this scheme is that when correspondence 
leaves the files, the filing clerk is not required to make an entry 
to trace the correspondence but has a receipt signed by the per¬ 
son to whom it was sent. Care should of course be used to de¬ 
liver no correspondence without a properly signed requisition. 


93 




THE FOLLOW-UP 


CHAPTER X. 

This is called the '‘H-F-A’' system. All letters are written 
with a tissue carbon. Each person who dictates the correspond¬ 
ence is furnished with a rubber stamp which can be made in any 
size and should carry a number, or the writer’s initials together 
with the letters ‘‘H-F-A” (Hold For Answer) as shown in 
Fig. 1. 

When each writer signs his correspondence and finds that 
he has some letters that should be replied to within a reasonable 
time and, if not, should be given further attention, he stamps 
the carbon copy with his ''H-F-A” stamp, filling in the date he 
should receive an answer, or date when to follow it up further 
and sends it to the filing room in the regular way. 

The correspondence is filed according to number, that is to 
say, each name of account is given a number from 1 up; these 
numbers are put on the folders, which are filed consecutively in a 
regular vertical filing cabinet. This cabinet is indexed alpha¬ 
betically in a small vertical card index, so that, when one wants 
any particular correspondence, his attendant looks it up in the 
index, secures the number of the folder and takes it out of the 
file without further trouble. 

When the “H-F-A’s” are received in the filing room they 
are sorted alphabetically, as the general correspondence is; each 
one is given its number from the index, then a card like that 
shown in Fig. 2 is made out. These cards are filed in a small 
vertical file which is numbered from one to thirty-one for the 
days of the month. 

Each morning the office employe goes to this file and takes 
out the cards for the day—^the H-F-A’s” that are due—and de¬ 
livers them to the desk of the person wanting them. 


94 


MAKING THE LETTER PAY 


The advantage of this system is that all the correspondence 
is in the general file; every one has access to it, and in large firms 
it prevents two or more writing about the same thing. 

Another advantage is that it does away with private files 
which some people in offices think give them prestige over others 
by keeping them in ignorance of certain matters which should 
be known to all, thus making the firm thinlf their services are 
particularly valuable. 

This system is being used by one of the largest corporations 
in the country, and is giving entire satisfaction. 



95 













MAILING AND STENOGRAPHIC 
HINTS 

CHAPTER XI. 

One saving which will appeal to concerns having any con¬ 
siderable correspondence is in filing space, a very important item 
to all such people. It is apparent that a letter and its reply, 
written on a single sheet, requires less filing space than the same 
letter and its reply written on a separate sheet by the ordinary 
method. A corresponding saving of the filing clerk’s time is 
also effected, he having to handle only one paper instead of two 
by the usual method, and he is enabled easily and quickly to sup¬ 
ply all the correspondence relating to a certain subject without 
having to go through the entire file of the concern addressed 
and without misgivings as to whether he has the proper reply. 

An important consideration in connection with the plan ad¬ 
vocated is the much more convincing effect such a copy would 
have in a court of law should litigation develop. In an endeavor 
to weaken the case of an opponent who employed the usual car¬ 
bon copy method, the claim might be made that a carbon copy 
more favorable to his contentions had been substituted for a 


96 


MAKING THE LETTER PAY 


bona-fide one and considerable difficulty would be experienced 
in refuting such a claim, whereas no such contention could be 
sustained if the carbon copy of the reply had been written on the 
back of the letter answered by it. Better and more conclusive 
evidence of authenticity would be impossible to get. 

♦ The copying machine tissue copy method of keeping a rec¬ 
ord of outgoing correspondence is, without doubt, far superior 
to the old copy book and press method and requires but lime 
time to take the impressions, but the carbon copy method with 
the change above described is superior even to it in that, when 
the stenographer has finished a letter, it is ready for immediate 
mailing without the delay incidental to making an impression 
which is never so good as a carbon copy and which frequently 
is positively illegible. Again, no cutting off nor sorting out of 
the letters copied the previous day is necessary as is the case 
with the machine nor is any indexing required as with the copy 
book nor must the same file be referred to twice—once for filing 
the letter received and again for filing the answer sent as with 
the machine or usual carbon method. The paper saved by writ¬ 
ing the reply on the back, while not so important as filing space 
saved or legibility, is still an item well worth considering. 

There will always be letters originating in the office which 
are not replies. For them, by this method, it is preferable to use 
the very light weight, almost transparent, typewriter paper man¬ 
ufactured expressly for that purpose in making the carbon copy 
rather than the ordinary weight plain typewriter (second sheets) 
so commonly employed. The former is lighter and consequently 
occupies considerable less filing space and is cheaper and more 
satisfactory than the heavier paper. 

A last argument in favor of using both sides of a letter for 
writing space is similar to the one of filing space saved. Should 
occasion arise for retaining particular correspondence from the 
general files until a disputed question has been finally settled, 
the whole matter is before the correspondent handling it in 
compact form and in as small a compass as possible with no pos¬ 
sibility of the reply being separated from the letter answered 
nor can it be questioned that it is the proper reply. 


97 




MAKING THE LETTER PAY 


The advantages recapitulated briefly are:— 

Compactness for either handling or filing. 

Filing space saved. 

One-fourth of the filing clerk’s time saved. 

Less paper required. 

Better and cleaner copies secured. 

No delayed mails until impressions are taken. 

A better court record. 

Ease and rapidity in locating all correspondence relating 
to a given subject. 

A recommendation in conclusion—^the best and most satis¬ 
factory carbon copies are obtained from the use of black carbon 
paper. It gives far and away the clearest and cleanest cut re¬ 
sults. 


98 




FILING DOCUMENTS 


CHAPTER XII. 

The filing of business documents becomes at times a rather 
perplexing question, especially in an office where several hundred 
or more such papers are required to be handled in a way so as 
to be easily and quickly accessible. Naturally, the most vital 
feature of keeping of important papers is the provision made 
for their safety, not only protection from loss and damage by 
fire or other disasters, but from carelessness or negligence of 
those having access to them. The former danger is usually dis¬ 
posed of by the use of a storage vault or fire-proof safe; the 
other must be taken care of by the filing system. One of the 
greatest advantages of the system here outlined is the reduction 
of the latter peril to a minimum. 

It is necessary, first, that all papers of this class be placed 
in the care of one person, who should be held in all cases strictly 
responsible for them, and who, for his own protection, must keep 
them under lock and key. For each document is provided an 
envelope—the regular nine and one-half inch size does nicely— 
with the Form 1 shown in the illustration printed upon the front. 
The documents, each in its envelope, are filed in numerical order 
in a filing cabinet or drawer similar to those used by banks for 
filing checks. A single drawer will hold several hundred 
envelopes. 

When a contract has been made, or a paper of value re¬ 
ceived, it is turned over to the man in charge of the document 
files, who makes out an envelope for it and numbers both the 
paper and the envelope with the next highest number not yet 
used in his file. 

For the purpose of indexing the document drawers two 
forms of 3x5-inch cards are used, one being printed especially for 


99 


MAKING THE LETTER PAY 


the purpose, and the other with the regular standard ruling. 
These cards are indexed by guides classifying the different 
kinds of documents—a guide card for contracts, one for deeds, 
one for insurance policies, one for miscellaneous, and so on. The 
cards representing each particular kind of documents can be 
further indexed by the use of alphabetical guides, should the 
number of papers of any one kind warrant. 

One card (Form 2) is used for each document, and is num¬ 
bered the same as the paper and its envelope. This suffices for 
the finding of a paper—a contract, for instance, when the name 
of the contracting party is known. To provide for easy access 
to any paper when this knowledge cannot be had, a card (Form 
3) with the standard ruling is used to represent each class of 
papers; all papers of a certain kind in the files are listed upon 
this one card. If necessary, two or more cards are used to hold 
the list of one kind of documents, in which case the cards are 
numbered serially. Thus a ready cross index is given to every 
paper in the file, and as the specific cards are white and the 
others are buff, they are not likely to be confused. 

ONLY THE INDEX CARD IS ACCESSIBLE 

While the documents themselves are kept under lock and 
key, the card index is accessible to any employe having need of 
it, and the time of the keeper of the documents can be saved by 
making it a rule that any person desiring a certain paper first 
find the proper card in the index and then call for the document 
by its number. When a paper is given out, the envelope is signed 
upon the front by the person receiving it, the date is marked 
upon the envelope, and it is then placed, empty, back into its 
proper position in the file. Should the same paper be wanted 
by another person before it has been returned to the file, the 
envelope will of course tell who has the paper at the time. 

The names of the months are printed across the top of the 
special cards. At the beginning of the year the cards are ex¬ 
amined, and a small clip is placed on each card, representing 
a document which expires during that year, the clip being 
directly over the name of the month in which the paper expires.* 


100 




MAKING THE LETTER PAY 



101 
















































































MAKING THE LETTER PAY 


The first of each month it is a simple matter to take from the 
cards a memorandum of the papers expiring during that month, 
so that they can be given the attention required. 

HOW TO KEEP OUT THE DEAD MATTER 

To keep the files clear of all dead matter, expired papers 
are removed from the main file drawers and placed in numerical 
order in a transfer case; the special card representing the doc¬ 
ument is also removed from the card file and placed in a card¬ 
board transfer box. On the buff card a red ink line is drawn 
across the memorandum of the expired paper, but these cards 
remain in the regular file indefinitely, thus affording not only a 
complete list of the documents still in effect, but also all of those 
which have been in effect and have expired. 

When a contract is made or any important paper received 
which affects the work of several departments, this document 
and its envelope go in turn to the heads of all departments inter¬ 
ested, each of whom is supposed to read the paper and make 
such memorandum of it as he considers necessary for his depart¬ 
ment files, and then to sign the envelope and return it and the 
enclosure to the keeper of the documents. Then, later, when 
a dispute arises regarding a certain contract, and the manager 
of department “A” claims that he has never seen nor heard of 
the document, his signature on the envelope, showing that the 
paper in question was in his keeping for two days, will usually 
act as a gentle but very effective reminder to him of the fact that 
it is his memory, and not the system, which is at fault. 


102 




CATALOG FILING 


CHAPTER XIII. 

To be of value, the catalog received by every business 
house must be properly cared for and a complete index main¬ 
tained. Economy of time and the instant and convenient ac¬ 
quisition of the desired information are indispensable elements 
to be considered. It is obvious that a card system for this pur¬ 
pose is far superior to any other method. Cards admit of sort¬ 
ing into any desired arrangement or classification and a soiled 
card is easily replaced, and the unlimited elasticity of the card 
system will appeal to anyone. 

In preparing an index of this kind it must be so arranged 
that all catalogs on file showing a given article can be in¬ 
stantly located and also show all classes of goods handled. To 
be complete a catalog file should contain not only the regular 
catalogs received from time to time, but should provide for 
the filing of pamphlets, clippings from trade journals, etc., which 
are quite often as important as the larger catalogs. It is the 
aim of this article to suggest a satisfactory solution of the prob¬ 
lem. 


FILING CASE 

The catalogs are placed either on shelves in bookcases 
or in vertical files. It should be kept in mind, however, that 
catalogs are not of uniform size, and they should therefore be 
grouped with reference to size or class, each division being 
designated by a symbol. A letter used as a prefix to the file 
number is the most convenient. Let “A” designate the shelves 
or division for the larger books, ‘‘B” the medium, the 

small, while ‘"D” will represent the filing compartment for the 
small pamphlets, clippings, etc. 


103 



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MAKING THE LETTER PAY 


INDEXING 

A card 3 by 5 inches is a suitable size. Two forms should 
be utilized in indexing and filed in separate trays as shown by 
illustrations “A” and “B.” Cards in Form A are filed alpha¬ 
betically according to firm names and in Form B according to 
the subject, guide cards being used for the necessary divisions. 
The cards (Form “A”), filed under firm names should show the 
address as well as the name of the firm, principal goods handled 
by that firm and catalog file number. On the card shown in 
Form B, which is headed with the name of the article, should 
be recorded the name and address of the different manufacturers 
and the file number of the catalog. The proper designating 
letter mentioned above should always be shown as a prefix to 
the file number. When filing, the necessary information for 
filing out the cards can be gained by referring to the index of 
the catalogs. 

Envelopes are used for filing clippings and pamphlets. 
These envelopes should be numbered and filed in a drawer ver¬ 
tically as shown by Form C. An index card is filled out show¬ 
ing the prefix and the envelope number in which the pamphlet 
or clipping has been filed. A convenient envelope is 41/2 by 9% 
inches. 

To further explain this system: Suppose a request for a 
catalog of drawing instruments is made. Reference is made to 
cards filed by subjects (Form B) and the card located under 
that subject which will show all the catalogs on file and any 
clippings, etc. 

Filing the cards in separate trays is necessary in a large 
file, but if the list is small they may be filed together, provided 
cards of a different color are used so as to be readily distin¬ 
guished. 


106 




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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



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